Casey's Code of Chivalry
by December'sRose
Summary: After Sally breaks up with Derek Casey offers to help him win her back. The catch? If Casey can turn Derek into Sally's knight in shining armor he has to wait on her hand and foot until she tells him otherwise. Will chaos ensue? Probably. .:Dasey:.
1. Prologue

Title: Casey's Code of Chivalry

Rated T

Summary: After Sally breaks up with Derek Casey offers to help him win her back. The catch? If she can turn Derek into Sally's knight in shining armor Derek has to wait on her hand and foot until she tells him otherwise. Will chaos ensue? Probably. .:Dasey:.

A/N: Hello and welcome to my newest Life with Derek fanfic. This idea first hit me when I was cleaning out my closet. I stumbled across my old English notes when my class was going over Chaucer and out of no where this plot bunny attacked. Those bunnies can be sneaky. Be warned that I'm not always the fastest updater around but I do plan on finishing this. Thus said, I hope you enjoy!

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Prologue

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"It was so random! One minute everything was fine but the next thing I know she's complaining about something that comes out of no where and _then_ she breaks up with me!" Derek Venturi exclaimed with confusion in his voice. He propped himself up on the bed so he could face his step-sister. Casey McDonald appeared to be listening intently to Derek's rant from the comfort of her desk chair but then blinked.

"When and why did I let you in my room again?" She asked, bewildered.

Derek frowned at her. "Come on, Space Case." He whined. "I'm in a dilemma here!"

"I don't see how." Casey scoffed, averting half her attention from Derek so that she could continue writing in her diary. "You don't make yourself upset over other relationships. Why should this one be any different? Unless…" Casey almost dropped her pen as it hit her; her blue eyes grew round with amusement.

"Unless what?"  
"Unless you've fallen in love with her!" Casey exclaimed.

It took a moment for Casey's words to sink in. "Hold on a second." Derek stuttered, sitting fully up on Casey's bed. "I am _not_ in love with Sally."

"Of course you are. You're just in denial right now." Casey beamed as Derek twitched, the way he often did when he knew she was right and he was wrong.

"It doesn't matter anyway." Derek said finally in a flat voice. "Sally won't even answer my phone calls or speak to me at work."

"What did you do to make her that mad?"  
"Well, she said something about how I wasn't romantic and that I was becoming an insensitive jerk."

"Der-ek!"

"Hey, in my defense she's at fault somehow in this mess too." Derek protested.

Casey raised an eyebrow. "Really? How?"  
"I don't know, I'm just trying to make myself feel better." Derek groaned, plopping back down on the bed so he was now looking up at her ceiling.

"Well then, why do you need my help?" Casey asked. "Just talk to Sally and ask for another chance."

"It's the same reason I came to you last time," Derek sighed. "I don't speak girl!"

Casey frowned. "I don't know what I could possibly say to help-" She paused and her eyes lit up. "Hey! I've got an idea!"

"Already?" Derek lifted his head only to find Casey rummaging within her desk drawer.

"Yes, I still have them," She said happily to herself.

"Still have what?"  
"The answer to your problem." Casey showed him a couple of stapled note book papers. "Derek, what do all girls want to be at one point in their life?"  
"Is this a trick question?"

"No! Now focus." Casey scooted her chair so she could present the papers. "Every girl wants to be a princess!"

"So what?" Derek snorted, sitting up on the bed again. "Are you saying I have to act like Prince Charming in order to win Sally back?"

"Not exactly." Casey grinned and handed him the papers. He glanced at them.

"English notes?"  
"On chivalry." At this Derek made a noise that sounded like a suppressed desire to laugh.

"You're kidding me, right?" He asked with a smirk. "Chivalry is dead so there's no way it could be the solution to the problem."  
"Chivalry is not dead!" Casey declared. "Hear me out: obviously there's no way we could turn you into Sally's prince charming-"  
"Hey!"  
" -So, instead why don't you try the next best thing?" Casey asked, her eyes twinkling. "I can make you into Sally's knight in shining armor!"

_"What!?"_

"Come on!" She protested. "Sally wants you to be romantic, right?" Derek nodded. "So what's more romantic than a heroic knight sweeping a princess off her feet before riding off into the sunset!" Casey sighed dreamily before continuing. "It's simple. All you have to do is learn this code." Derek gulped as he glanced over the long list.

"You call _this_ simple?"

"This _will_ work." Casey assured him; a thought crossed her mind and she smirked. "Of course, it'll work if you're willing to pay the price."

Derek blinked. "I thought you were going to help me for free." He muttered.

"Do you want Sally back or not?"

Derek asked himself this question again: Did he want Sally back? Yes, he decided. He totally wanted her back.

After giving his reply to Casey, she grinned. "Okay, then listen up. If I turn you into Sally's knight in shining armor _you_ have to wait on me hand and foot until I tell you otherwise."

"So that means there's a possibility you'd make me a slave for life?"  
"Yep."

Derek sighed as he chanted mentally: _Sally was worth it, Sally was worth it…_

"Okay," He muttered, knowing that he'd most likely regret this agreement later.

"Great!" Casey exclaimed, rolling back to her desk. "Now, get out of my room and go to sleep. We're going to start your transformation early tomorrow so I want you up and ready by 10 o'clock sharp!" Derek nodded wordlessly and obeyed. Casey figured that he was either shocked at himself because he accepted her price or he was depressed that they would have to work together…again.

Casey knew though that their hard work would indeed pay off once Derek learned the code of chivalry because when she was done with him, Casey would have turned Derek into a knight in shining armor that would have put Ivanhoe to shame.

-Fin-

A/N: Keep in mind that this story is going to be long; 20+ chapters. I already have it all planned out so I'll try and update as quick as I can. Thanks so much for reading! I hoped you were intrigued by the prologue. Don't worry, there's a lot more to come. Until then, guys!

_"Never let go of the one you truly love."_

-December'sRose 


	2. Chapter One

Title: Casey's Code of Chivalry

Rated T

Summary: After Sally breaks up with Derek Casey offers to help him win her back. The catch? If she can turn Derek into Sally's knight in shining armor, Derek has to wait on her hand and foot until she tells him otherwise. Will chaos ensue? Probably. .:Dasey:.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek

A/N: Hello everyone, I'm back again. Thanks so much for the reviews on the prologue, I'm glad a lot of readers are interested in this idea. Here's how the next 20+ chapters are going to play out. I have a list, exactly the same list that Casey has obviously, about the code of chivalry given to me by my old English teacher. He got the information from another source but most of the credit for this list goes to him. Each chapter will be a new lesson in chivalry for Derek, sometimes followed by the occasional drama and chaos most of us are familiar with. It's going to seemingly start out as Dally for a bit, but trust me, I have a few plot twists up my sleeves. Thus said, here's chapter 1. I hope everyone enjoys it! Feel free to leave any constructive criticism in your reviews to help me improve my writing. I'd appreciate it a lot.

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I. Live to Serve King and Country

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"So, to recap, you don't want us making breakfast?" Nora asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Exactly." Casey said, a small grin tugging at her mouth. Her mother exchanged a look with George.

"What's the special occasion?"

"No special occasion." She informed them as George sat down next to his wife. "This is just part of my plan to help Derek."

"Plan?"  
"Since when do you use the words "help" and "Derek" in the same sentence?" George asked with a smirk.

"Since Sally broke Derek's heart and he's trying to win her back." Casey informed him. "He's desperate. Plus, I get something out of the deal also."

"That explains it." George mumbled.

"Sally and Derek broke up?" Casey turned as her little sister and step-brother entered the kitchen. "When?" Lizzie asked.

"Last night." Casey told her as Edwin made his way to the cereal cabinet. Her eyes narrowed. "Edwin, don't eat any of that cereal!"

"Why?" Edwin yelped, startled. "There's plenty left for you." To prove his point, he shook the box of cornflakes.

"What's your problem?" Lizzie asked, frowning at her sister's outburst.

"Casey doesn't want us to eat breakfast yet because it'll interfere with her plan to get Sally and Derek back together." Nora informed her, smiling.

"…and how does not eating breakfast yet get Sally and Derek back together?" Lizzie asked, skeptic as Edwin took his seat beside her.

Casey grinned. "You'll see. You can't eat until Derek wakes up."  
"Well, when is he going to wake up? I'm starving!" Edwin complained.

"Good question." Casey frowned, glancing over at the clock. It was exactly thirty minutes past ten. "Everybody stay here."  
As she made her way up the stairs the happy sounds emitting from Marti's cartoons grew faint. _'I told him ten o'clock sharp. He never listens!_'

"Der-ek!" Casey didn't even bother knocking; as she expected the bane of her existence was currently lying on his stomach, face in a pillow. She rolled her eyes. "When I said ten, I meant ten. Not ten thirty!" Casey retorted, proceeding to yank the quilt off of him. He groaned, irritated, into his pillow.

"Get up. Everyone is waiting downstairs."  
"Leave me alone." She heard him mumble. "It's Saturday."

"Oh, okay. I assume you came up with a foolproof plan to get Sally back, right? So…you don't need my help or were you just wasting my time last night-?"

"Alright, I'm up!" Derek snapped, turning over to glare at his step-sister. She smiled, thinly. "Good. Now hurry up and get downstairs. Your lessons in chivalry begin today."

"Joy." Derek muttered. Reluctantly, he got out of bed and followed Casey down the stairs. "So, what am I supposed to do?" He asked her, yawning. "Study some worksheet and take a quiz over it later today?"

"No." Casey snapped. Her frown soon turned into a smile as they neared the kitchen. "No, I have something else in mind…"

"Finally!" Edwin exclaimed as the two entered the kitchen. "Can we eat now?"

Derek looked over at Casey confused. "Uh…?"

"Don't you remember the first thing on the list last night, Derek?" Casey asked, enjoying every moment of this. Without expecting him to answer, she continued. "Number 1: Live to serve king and country…"

"You're kidding." George laughed. "Your plan to help Derek win Sally back is to teach him how to be chivalrous?"  
"Casey, do you think that's such a good idea?" Nora asked, hesitantly. "I know chivalry is a good thing and all but…"

"Mom, not you too!" Casey complained. "Chivalry is not dead, and to prove it I'm going to turn Derek into Sally's knight in shining armor if it's the last thing I do."

"Yeah, good luck with that." Lizzie quipped. Casey ignored her.

"So, what am I-?" Derek began asking but stopped talking as Casey directed an amused smirk towards him. Realization suddenly hit him; his eyes grew round.  
"Oh, come on!" He protested. "Please tell me you're kidding."  
"Sorry, D." Casey smiled. "This is your first lesson in chivalry. For the rest of the day you have to learn how to obey any command George or the rest of us set forth _without _complaining."

"We get to boss Derek around?" Edwin asked, grinning. "Sweet."

"No way." Derek retorted. "I've got plans today anyway…"

"Well, just kiss those plans good bye because you're going to be busy. Unless of course, you want to use that foolproof plan of yours to get Sally back. Then by all means…"  
"Okay, okay, I get it." Derek mumbled, wincing. George looked over at Casey.

"So, let me get this straight." Her step-father began with a grin, clearly enjoying each moment of this as well. "For today, we can tell Derek what to do and not hear his mouth?" Derek glared at his father.

"Yep." Casey nodded. "Starting with breakfast. Also, this'll only last for a day because we have to go through this list quickly in order to transform him." She smiled. "So, place your orders and Derek…start cooking!"

"Well, I was going to have cereal." Edwin began, ignoring the threat in Derek's glare as soon as it was directed towards him. "Now I feel like scrambled eggs." He looked over at Lizzie, who shrugged.

"I'll have what Edwin's having."

"Make it scrambled eggs for us too." George said, placing a hand on Nora's shoulder. Nora smiled, sheepishly. Derek glanced over at Casey, about to whine, but Casey beat him too it.  
"No complaining, remember?" She said. Then she turned towards the living room. "Marti, do you want scrambled eggs too?"

"Not hungry!" Was the reply.

"Well, I'll have some. So, that's going to be about ten eggs or so." Casey grinned, sitting down next to Lizzie. Derek clenched his teeth: _Sally was worth it…_

"Guess I'd better get cooking then." He said casually, frowning. Casey sighed as she watched Derek fumble with various pots and pans.

"Well, today's going to be entertaining at least." Lizzie commented with an amused grin.

Ten hours later, Derek had completed various tasks around the house such as cleaning out the garage, doing all the laundry, driving Edwin, Lizzie and Marti to their desired locations as well as getting lunch. Casey had thought he would have cracked way before eight o'clock. In fact, she was almost sure that he would have given up that morning after breakfast. Nora convinced George and Casey to order in a pizza for dinner that evening; she was beginning to feel guilty about having her step-son do all the work in her house and she wasn't about to have him cook _another_ meal for the family.

"Am I done yet?" He asked, careful not to make his tone whiny. Casey, who was busy lounging in _his_ chair glanced up at him with a small smile. "For now, I guess. I'm impressed Derek. I thought you would have quit by now."  
"I'm not quitting." Derek declared, firmly. "I've messed things up with Sally too many times in the past to ruin the relationship now. I want to set things right. I want Sally back."  
Casey's smile faltered at the determination in his voice. _He really does love her…_

Derek didn't notice. "So, what now?" He asked.  
"I don't know." She said honestly. "You've already proven to me you can handle obeying commands without whining…surprisingly."  
"So, we're done for today?"

Casey caught the hopeful tone instantly but decided to let it pass. "I think we are." She decided. "We'll work on the second thing on the list tomorrow."  
"What's that?" Derek asked, plopping down on the couch, exhausted.

"Not telling." Casey told him. "I'll tell you in the morning."

Derek was about to bother her about it, saying he wanted to get this transformation over and done with, but then stopped….as if he just realized something.

"Wait a minute." He said, slowly. Casey looked over at him. "I've been doing things for you all day."  
"Yeah, I was surprised about that too." Casey smirked.

Derek shook his head. "The deal was, you teach me this chivalry garbage and I have to be your personal slave. I was technically like your personal slave all day today!"  
"Technically, but not quite."

"Eh-?"

"You see, you weren't _my_ slave today." Casey explained. "You were _everyone's _slave today."

"So…"  
"So, you shouldn't be complaining about anything, really." Casey giggled at Derek's dumbfounded expression. Apparently, he lost the thought he was going to use against her.

"Whatever." Derek muttered, finally. He snatched up the remote. "Is it safe to assume that I should be nervous about what you have in store for me tomorrow?"

"Yep. Totally safe."

He sighed, flipping through the channels. Today had been bad enough. All day long he had been hearing orders, usually starting with:  
"Derek, I need-"

"Derek, can you-?"

"Derek, drive me here and-"

He never thought he'd be tired of hearing his own name.

"This plan of yours better work, Casey." Derek muttered under his breath. Casey rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry." She assured him for what seemed like the hundredth time. "It will."

He said nothing after that, and the two fell into a simple silence. As usual, Casey paid no attention to the Hockey Game in front of her. Instead, she was immersed in her own thoughts, remembering certain scenes that had taken place earlier that day. Teaching Derek chivalry turned out more interesting than she thought it'd be:

__

"Wow Derek, I had no idea you cared about Sally **this** much." Lizzie laughed as her older step-brother gave up the remote control to his little sister. He shot her a look clearly saying 'Don't say anything else.' Casey smiled a content smile from the opposite end of the couch.

"Hey, Derek." Edwin entered the living room. Un-surprisingly he had been taking advantage of his older brother's current situation since Casey announced it that morning. So far, he had gotten Derek to make him snacks, give him the remote earlier, clean his room AND do most of his chores (despite Nora's protests about how Edwin shouldn't be using this as an excuse to get out of them in the first place). All of the family now recognized the familiar gleam that could be seen in Ed's features and Derek winced inwardly. "What now?"

Casey raised a warning eyebrow at him and Derek found himself adding "Dearest brother?" through gritted teeth.

"I just got off the phone with Michelle," Edwin began casually. "She's saying that she wants to hang out today and I thought 'Hey! Why not hang out at Smelly Nelly's?' so you can drive us there, right?" Of course this wasn't a question.

"Oh! Can I come?" Marti asked, excitedly. "I want to see Sally again!"

"Great idea Marti," Edwin said, grinning at Derek's mortified look. "In fact, why don't you take us all Derek? I'm sure you wouldn't mind paying us all lunch,"  
It took Derek a full minute before he could muster up a proper yet forced response. "No, I wouldn't mind at all." He said with a thick voice. Derek glanced over at Casey. "Can I see you over there…in private?"  
"Sure." Casey smirked, placing her book mark between new pages.

"I don't know if I have enough money!" Derek hissed, though he knew that he wasn't out of ear-shot for Lizzie and Marti decided to watch the two from the couch. "Can't I just get out of this one…please?"

"Sorry Derek," Casey almost sang, clearly not sorry at all. "A deal's a deal. Besides, don't you get food for free?"

"Only on days I work and even then I still have to pay fifty percent." Derek sighed. Casey just shrugged at this.

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure something out." She told him with a smirk, patting his shoulder as she made her way to get her coat and help Marti with hers.

Fifteen minutes later, Edwin, Michelle, Marti, Lizzie, Casey and Derek all entered the restaurant. For a Saturday afternoon, Derek had expected it to be pretty busy.

"Um, thanks for lunch Derek." Michelle said politely as they slipped into a booth. Derek nodded curtly before their waitress came up to them.

"Hi, welcome to Smelly Nelly's I-" Sally paused. "Oh, hey guys."  
"Hi Sally!" Marti greeted. Sally darted a glare at Derek before smiling at the eight year-old. "Hey sweetie." She said. "How've you been?"

"Good." Marti responded, beaming. Marti absolutely adored Derek's ex-girlfriend. "Derek's buying us all lunch today." She informed her.

"Oh, is that so?" Derek twitched at the anger hidden in these words. "That's nice of him." Sally finished, frowning slightly.

"Well, Casey's making him pay for all of us." Marti added. "She says it's all part of her plan-"

"Hey, Sally!" Derek interrupted quickly, exchanging glances with Casey. "Can I speak to you?"  
It looked as if Sally wanted to decline this request rudely but voiced a forced reply because his little sister was present. "I suppose so." She said, icily. She then turned towards the others. "I'll be back in a moment to take your drink orders guys."

"Sally," Derek began, hoping he didn't sound desperate. "I know this sounds-"

"Derek, how dare you." Sally began, disgusted. "I can't believe you actually bribed your sister and brother into coming here just so I would be forced to speak to you."

"Hey!" Derek protested, matching Sally's frown with one of his own. "I didn't bribe anyone. They wanted to come here and like a good, older brother I thought I'd treat them to lunch…" He ignored the unconvinced glare Sally gave him.  
"Okay, so what about Edwin's girlfriend and Casey?" She retorted. "You don't even care about treating me to something now and again yet you still go and buy lunch for someone who I don't even know very well and someone who you complain about all the time!?"

"For the record." Derek informed her. "The only reason I haven't been able to buy YOU lunch lately is because-"

"Oh, don't even give me excuses!" Sally snapped. She lowered her voice when she looked to see that Casey and the others were looking over, probably trying to here their conversation. "You're a jerk, Derek Venturi."

"Sally." He tried. "I can't help the way I act! I-"

"So, that's supposed to be your excuse?"  
"Just give me another chance?" He put on his best pout face. "I really like you Sally, I don't want to mess up our relationship."  
Sally blinked, clearly not expecting this, and then paused. After a moment she smiled. "Okay." She decided, rolling her eyes as he gave her a grateful, side hug. "One more chance."  
"Thanks." He said, sighing with relief. At least he wouldn't have to learn any more of this chivalry junk. Sally took him back. He didn't have to become a knight or prince or anything in order for this to happen.

"So, what are you guys hungry for?" Sally asked as the two made their way back to the table. Before anyone could even respond Derek coughed uncertainly. "Uh, yeah Sally, I know this is going to sound bad but…" He gulped. "Can you treat them all to lunch for me? I don't have enough money for them all and you know that we don't get paychecks for another-"  
"Derek Venturi, you ….you…!" Sally exploded, not caring about the fact that Marti squeaked at her outburst in surprise. "I don't believe you. I don't BELIEVE you! I can't believe not only seconds after I gave you a chance you're already acting like an insensitive jerk! We're through Derek. No more chances." Sally paused and grabbed a half drunk soda from a nearby table. Without hesitating she threw it into his face.

"Sally-" Casey tried to apologize for whatever Derek did or said to upset her but was too late. Sally had already stormed off to the back room, onlookers watching her in shock. Derek's expression was unreadable as he wiped excess soda from his face with the back of his hand.

"Wow." Lizzie said softly.

"Smerek, are you and Sally mad at each other forever?" Marti asked, timidly.

"Don't worry Marti. I'm sure they'll work things out." Casey assured her. She cast a glance at Derek, unsure whether or not he was going to want Sally back after this display. Edwin whistled softly.

"Edwin, maybe eating here isn't such a good idea." Michelle said. She started getting up from her seat.

"No." Derek's voice was firm. He forced a bitter smile. "You guys sit and eat. I'll find a way to take care of it. I am the assistant manager after all."

No one bothered to argue and within the hour they had finished their meal without seeing Sally return from the back room. Casey tried to perk up a conversation between Edwin, Michelle and Lizzie but didn't get very far. Derek on the other hand remained in a stony silence through out the entire meal.

"I still can't believe after all that happened today you're still willing to try and win Sally back." Casey commented after several moments. Derek darted a "You don't know anything" look in her direction before replying. "I blew it today. I can't believe I was so stupid!"

"Really?" Casey's smile faded as soon as she noted that Derek did not seem in the mood for jokes of any kind. She sighed. "Don't worry. The code will work. Trust me, by the time you learn it you'll have your true love at your side in no time."

"Yeah." He mumbled, uncertainly. Before they lapsed into another phase of silence Casey giggled causing Derek to look at her.

"What?"

"Was that soda diet or regular?" She couldn't help but ask. Derek glared at her.

"Shut up."

-Fin-

A/N: Phew, the first chapter is done. I hope I didn't make Sally too OOC, I'm still not used to writing her character that much. Thanks for reading everyone, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Until next time!

_"Never let go of the one you truly love."_

-December'sRose 


	3. Chapter Two

Title: Casey's Code of Chivalry

Rated T

Summary: After Sally breaks up with Derek Casey offers to help him win her back. The catch? If Casey can turn Derek into Sally's knight in shining armor he has to wait on her hand and foot until she tells him otherwise. Will chaos ensue? Probably. .:Dasey:.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek

A/N: Guess what everyone! Casey's Code of Chivalry now has a fanfic trailer up on youtube made by yours truly. I _know_ for a fact it doesn't even compare the awesome fanfic trailers out on the site because it's actually my first real time messing with Life with Derek clips. If you're interested in watching the trailer, my youtube name is listed as one of the first things in my profile. Hope you enjoy it! Now, back to the actual story. For this chapter I played around with a plot idea I've had in my head since "Just Friends". It's kind of random and I guess a bit far fetched? I'll let you readers decide for yourself, but it was actually a fun plot twist to play with. I have absolutely no idea how to spell George P's (Not George Venturi!) last name so I improvised. Just letting you all know. I hope everyone enjoys chapter two and thanks a bunch to those who reviewed the last one. By the way this chapter is dedicated to Allie (Moonlit-Jeannie). Be sure to wish her a happy birthday, guys! (Even if this chapter is a day late, lol)

* * *

II. Live to defend Crown and Country and all it holds dear

* * *

"I am now the evil Queen of this house! Fear me and I might spare you!"

Derek looked from his little sister to Casey and started laughing hysterically for Marti was dressed in her witch's costume from a previous Halloween. His little sister pouted.

"Didn't I say it right?" She asked Casey who was currently giving Derek a reproachful look. She turned to the eight year-old.

"You said it fine." Casey assured her. Derek's laughter died down as he smirked.

"You mean you actually _scripted_ this?" He indicated Marti's costume and performance. Casey frowned at him.

"Yes, I did." She admitted. "Number two: live to defend Crown and Country and all it holds dear. Welcome to the second day of your transformation Derek Venturi."

"Wait, didn't I already do that yesterday?"

"Nope." Casey informed him, grinning. "Yesterday you had to 'live to serve'. Today, you have to 'live to _defend'_.

"Huh?"  
"Serve, defend. Defend, serve. Get the difference?" Casey took Derek's eye roll as a yes. "Okay, moving on."

"Do I have to start over?" Marti asked.

"No Marti, it's fine." Casey said. "Just start where you left off."  
"Okay Casey!" Derek rolled his eyes again as Marti's expression turned 'menacing'. The three were currently in the living room, which Casey and Marti turned into a Renaissance set...sort of. Marti had created paper castles which she plastered all around the walls with tape while Casey made sort of an arch around the door, which consisted of bed sheets. She insisted that the pictures she looked at of castles had elaborate decorations as soon as you stepped into the entrance but seeing as the only reason they were decorating was because Marti wanted to, Casey just improvised. Bed sheets also draped over various nooks and crannies of the living room (because Marti insisted the door arch bed sheet wasn't enough). Derek of course groaned as soon as he made his way downstairs though he felt rather pleased knowing he didn't have to wait on everyone again that day. Lizzie and Edwin were both at Michelle's birthday party while his dad and Nora were at work, assuring the three they'd be home before dinner.

The eight year-old scowled at him. "Hear these words!" Marti cried out dramatically (Derek suppressed his hysterics for Casey gave him another threatening look). "If you do not…do not…" Marti paused, her expression now turning confused. "Casey, what's the rest of my line?"

Derek smirked as he watched Casey wince. His step-sister turned to frown at him yet again. "So what's this all about Space Case?" He asked, using his favorite nickname for her. "How the hell is this going to teach me chivalry?"

"Derek, do you even know what knights do?"

"Uh…"

Casey rolled her eyes. Obviously, Derek skimmed through his Ivanhoe graphic novel. "Knights stand up for the innocent. Knights protect their land from danger! They're brave, Derek, and they let nothing threaten or harm their kingdom!"

"So, in other words…"

"Yes, Marti is playing an evil Queen and you have to vanquish her from our house using little violence and plenty of courage."

"Little violence?"

"Well yeah," Casey responded. "She's still an eight year-old."

"Smarti, how could you team up against me?" Derek groaned. His little sister shrugged.

"Are you still willing to cooperate?" Casey asked with a smug grin. "Would you risk battling your little sister in order to win Sally back _and_ become my personal slave?"

Derek didn't need to think long about the question. He already knew there was no turning back now. Sally hadn't called him or anything since yesterday's incident. He wouldn't get to see her until tomorrow, since today was his day off. The last thing he wanted to do that Sunday was play "Knights and Villains" with Casey and Marti but knew (even though he wanted so much to deny it) that Casey had the potential to help him win Sally back and perhaps make their relationship a bit stronger.

"Smarti, do your worst." Derek challenged, his own smug expression matching Casey's.

"Okay, Smerek!" Marti exclaimed. Before Derek or Casey could even say anything Marti rushed to the couch and grabbed a pillow. She charged at Derek, full force, showing no mercy. Casey laughed as Derek played along and sank to his knees.

"Oh, Smarti, how could you?" He "moaned" dramatically as Marti swatted him with the pillow a few more times before abandoning it.

"Ha ha ha! You'll never defeat me!" Marti cried, clearly having fun pretending to be "evil" .

"Show courage Derek!" Casey commanded. "Fight for your Country! Fight for your Crown!" Derek shook his head at her as he got up from his knees.

"Can't catch me! Can't catch me!" Marti chanted running around the living room. Casey giggled as Derek easily waited for his little sister to come in range before snatching her up into his arms.

"Unhand me Smerek! By order of the Queen!" Marti half-shrieked, half-giggled.

"Let's see," Derek mused, exchanging an amused glance with Casey. "Now that I've got you where I want you it's time to bring out…the tickle monster!" He maneuvered Marti so he could drop her on the couch and tickle her silly.

"Casey, help!" Marti giggled for she was now at the mercy of her older brother. Casey smiled at the two but before she could open her mouth to tell Derek to let Marti breathe George walked through the door swatting away the bed sheet that dangled in his face.

"Daddy! Save me from the tickle monster!" Marti pleaded, panting now from laughing so hard. Derek gave her a break, but didn't let her up from the couch.

"What's up, Dad? Why are you home early?" He asked, noticing his father's stressed features. His question was answered as Terri followed in after him, timidly. George ignored Derek's question and hung up Terri's coat.

"Terri!" Marti exclaimed, squirming out of Derek's reach as she smiled at her Dad's work buddy.

"Hey, Marti good to see you again." Terri told her, trying to smile. Marti ran up to her, about to give her a hug, but stopped when she saw through the smile. Her face fell. "What's the matter? Why are you crying?"

Casey exchanged a curious look with Derek. She had heard the story of Terri's appearance at dinner that night from her sister. Though never meeting her personally, she too looked worried as George's friend wiped a tear from her eye.

"Marti, Terri's had a rough day." George explained before Terri could. He turned to her. "Why don't you two go into the kitchen and Marti can get you something to drink?" He turned back to his daughter. "Okay, Marti?"

"Okay, Daddy." The young girl obeyed, taking Terri's hand and leading her out of the living room. As soon as they were out of ear shot, George let out what seemed to be an overwhelmed sigh.

"George, what's wrong?" Casey asked, anxiously.

"Terri's fiancé just broke up with her and called off the wedding." George informed them, frowning. "Terri's been distraught all day today."

"Poor Terri," Casey commented sympathetically. Derek just frowned, clearly unsure of what to say after that.

"I invited her to dinner tonight and to spend as long as she needs to tonight here until she's well enough to go home."

"That sounds like a good idea." Casey agreed.

"What sounds like a good idea?" All three turned as Lizzie and Edwin stepped into the living room. "...And what _is_ all this!?" Lizzie cried out in surprise as the bed sheet George swatted earlier fell down completely over her head. Edwin grinned after sidestepping the bed sheet avalanche and looked at Derek.

"Chivalry lesson?"

"Yep."

"Casey, can you and Derek clean all this stuff up?" George asked, indicating the decorations and various arts and crafts supplies Marti had been using earlier that morning. "I'm going to get started on dinner."

"So, what's going on?" Lizzie asked again as George joined Marti and Terri in the living room.

"Terri's here." Casey informed her quietly. "Apparently her fiancé broke up with her and called off the wedding."

"What!?" Lizzie exclaimed.

"Aw, not George Prindergrass!" Edwin said, shocked.

"Prindergrass?" Derek snorted. "What type of a last name is that?"

"Der-ek!" Casey hissed, giving him another death glare. "Don't be rude! Terri's obviously going through some hard times right now…"

"That's so awful!" Lizzie said sadly. "Terri was really happy about getting married to him and starting her own family."

"Yeah, it is horrible!" Edwin agreed, his voice decreasing to an urgent, hushed-tone. "Now that Prindergrass is out of the picture, Terri's going to take Dad away from Nora!"

"Oh Edwin, don't even start that up again." Lizzie complained, frowning.

"Edwin, what on earth are you talking about?" Casey asked, her own frown matching Lizzie's.

"Derek said it himself!" He gulped when his older brother glared at him threateningly. "Girls and boys can't just be friends! I thought I didn't believe him but the whole Sally and Patrick thing proved it."

"It proved nothing." Casey retorted. "Only that you're stupid enough to believe anything that Derek says." She flashed her step-brother an annoyed glance. Derek rolled his eyes at her and shrugged off the glare.

"Yeah Edwin, didn't you get it the first time?" Lizzie asked. "George is just Terri's good friend while she lives in London. She isn't in love with him!"

"Believe what you want." Edwin muttered.

The mention of Sally and Patrick brought back unpleasant memories for Derek to think about while Casey and Lizzie teamed up against Edwin in the "just friends" debate. He had been right like Edwin insisted, even Sally admitted it. Patrick still had feelings for her. Casey was now protesting how she and Noel were still "just friends" but Derek knew this didn't mean anything. Anyone could still see that Noel had a tiny crush on her, despite what he assured Casey. Maybe Edwin was right, maybe Terri really was after their Dad. Now, he wasn't that worried about it but if the matter came up later he'd have to set that blonde straight.

* * *

"I'm sorry to hear what happened, Terri." Nora told her, sympathetically when the Venturi-McDonald clan + 1 sat down for dinner. Terri, who had stopped crying but still look exhausted, smiled at her but didn't say anything else.

"Don't worry, Terri," Casey added, hoping to lighten up the mood. "Things will turn out okay."  
"Yeah!" Marti agreed enthusiastically. George gave Casey a grateful smile.

"Thanks everyone, you've all been wonderful." Terri said finally. Derek blinked; since her entrance this was the first time he had actually heard her speak.

The clan settled back into an awkward silence, unsure of what to say next. The silence broke when Terri's cell phone rang. Terri coughed. "I'm going to use the bathroom, please excuse me."

"Why didn't she just answer it?" Lizzie asked curiously as Terri left the table.

"Maybe because she didn't want to be rude?" Nora suggested.

"Or maybe because she's diabolically scheming." Edwin muttered under his breath only so Derek could hear him. Derek glanced at him after swallowing. Edwin was like Marti when it came to gut feelings so obviously his younger brother was worried that something was up. It wasn't the first time he had heard of this either. Marti wasn't sensing anything bad from Terri like she did Scott but still … he couldn't deny that it made him curious.

"Can I be excused?" Derek muttered. Casey looked at him suspiciously but George shrugged while everyone else ignored him. He got up from the table and made his way up stairs, as if he was just going to check something in his room.

Of course his room was the last place he was going but since there was only one bathroom in the house…

__

"I told you not to call me until later."

Bingo.

Terri was in the bathroom alright…but it wasn't for the reason everyone downstairs thought.

"No, dinner isn't over yet. They're still eating."

Derek hid behind the wall as he stood on the last stair; so Edwin had been right… Terri _was_ up to something.

"George has been calling your house? You did tell him I never wanted to speak to him again like I told you to, didn't you?"

What was this? According to his dad, Terri's so called fiancé George Prindergrass was the one who called off the wedding but it sounded as if Terri was being told he was trying to apologize.

"The plan is still working, don't worry. George (Venturi) invited me to stay as long as I wanted so if I keep this up, I'll have him realizing his real feelings for me in no time."

Derek's expression turned grim. So that was her game.

"None of them have caught on yet." Terri continued. "Only that brat…the middle child. But I covered it up quickly and I don't think they're suspicious anymore."

Okay, the blonde had to go. Derek felt heated anger towards her rise when he heard her call Edwin "that brat" and when she revealed her "diabolical scheme". It was like what he said to Andrew back when he and Casey started at Smelly Nelly's: no one insulted Edwin (or anyone in the Venturi-McDonald clan for that matter) but him.

"Okay, I'll call you back. Thanks for helping me out with this." He heard Terri say, a click following afterwards indicating his cue. Casually, he proceeded up the last step as he made like he was going to his bed room. The bathroom door had been cracked open (the reason why Derek could hear the conversation in the first place) and as expected Terri stepped out into the hall, stuffing her cell phone back in her purse.

"Oh, um…hi." Terri looked startled as she turned and found Derek standing in front of her, a knowing smirk etching across his face. "Derek, right?"

"Yeah. Hey, listen: I'm so _sorry_ about the wedding thing." Derek lied, crossing his fingers behind his back. "You must be _devastated_."

"I'm sure I'll get over it, it was just a big shock." Terri replied, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Yeah." He returned the suspicious look, narrowing his eyes at her. After a moment Terri finally spoke, her voice flat. "I'd better get downstairs."  
"You go do that."

He needed a plan. Something similar to his plan like when he busted Scott but on a much larger scale. As Terri disappeared down the stairs, a smirk found it's way within Derek's features again as the wheels in his mind started turning.

* * *

"Here you go, Terri, you can sleep on the couch tonight. Do you need anything extra? Extra pillows, extra blankets?"  
"No, it's okay George." Terri smiled sweetly. "I'm fine."

"You know, if you feel uncomfortable I'm sure Casey wouldn't mind giving up her own bed for tonight." George added, heavy concern in his voice. He glanced over at her. Casey looked up from her book with a 'I wouldn't mind?' look but winced inwardly when she saw the plea for cooperation in her step-dad's eyes.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind at all." She half-lied.

"No, honestly I'm fine." Terri insisted. (Casey almost sighed with relief knowing if she slept on the couch that night she wouldn't be well rested _at all _for school the next day). "I don't want to inconvenience you all any more than I have too…"

Derek rolled his eyes from his spot on the stairs. He made his way past the living room and to the kitchen where Nora was doing dishes; she was clearly giving Lizzie and Edwin a break that evening since it was Sunday.

"Hey, where have you been. We haven't seen you since dinner." She asked him, smiling.

"Making phone calls up-stairs." Derek replied, briskly. As if on cue, the door bell rang. Perfect timing.

"What in the world?" Nora asked, glancing over into the living room as George answered the door. "It's nearly ten o'clock at night. Who'd be visiting now?"

Derek grinned as a middle-aged man of about five foot four entered the door.

"Um, hi?" George asked, confused. "Can I help you?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" He heard Terri hiss, her pleasant attitude suddenly turning rough. He exchanged a look with Nora, who put down the dish she was holding and followed Derek into the living room.

"Hey, George!" He greeted casually. "Glad you could make it." Casey looked between the three in confusion, obviously trying to figure out what scheme Derek had up his sleeve now.

The man nodded. "You must be Derek, right? Thanks for the call."  
"You _called_ him?" Terri rounded on the second eldest Venturi. His dad, too, looked at Derek with disproval.

"Will somebody explain what's going on?" He asked, irritated.  
"I think I can." Terri retorted, standing up from her spot on the couch. "Your son obviously got a hold of my _ex_-fiancé. How, I can't be sure…"

"Well, I found it easy." Derek explained, shrugging innocently. "Not many people with the last name Prindergrass…."

"Derek, what's going on here?" George (Venturi) asked again, still irritated.

"Maybe I can explain better." George (Prindergrass) cut in, glaring at Terri as if ashamed.

"You have nothing to explain and you have no right being here." Terri declared. "I don't know exactly why you even bothered coming here."

"I bothered coming because I wanted to see exactly who you fell in love with before you left me!" George P. protested, his eyes narrowing.

Derek's dad looked between the two as did Casey. They both shared the same confused look. "Wait, didn't you leave Terri?" Casey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, is that what she told you?" George P. scoffed; Derek saw Terri twitch a bit and grinned. "Terri is the one that left _me_. She told me she was in love with someone else and she left me without another explanation."

"Terri, is this true?" George rounded on his work buddy; Nora made her way next to him, frowning at her also.

"Of course it's not true." Terri protested, throwing a glare in Derek's direction. "This whole thing is a set up to get me to look bad."

"Don't try to get out of this one Terri, you're lucky that Derek caught you talking to Rhonda…or maybe not so lucky." George P. winked at Derek as Terri's face flushed red.

"You eavesdropped on my conversation!?"

"Not my fault you don't know how to close a bathroom door." Derek snorted.

"George, you honestly can't believe…" Terri tried protesting. "This is ridiculous!"

"Well, surprisingly enough under the circumstances I do believe it." George said, smirking. "Plus, you just admitted it yourself."  
"So the question still stands," George P retorted, folding his arms across his chest as all eyes turned onto the blonde. "Who are you in love with, Terri?"

Terri gapped at her ex-fiancé and Derek wordlessly for a moment before sighing, defeated. "Okay, fine. Since you insist." She darted an angry look at Derek quickly before continuing. "I'm in love with you, George Venturi."

"What!?" Casey exclaimed. Both George's faces twitched while Nora's own expression turned threatening. "But you told Lizzie and Edwin that you _weren't_ in love with George!"

"Yeah, well you would have lied too." Terri snapped. "I was trying to figure out a way to get closer to you and to get Nora out of the picture. I wanted you to realize your feelings for me because obviously you have feelings for me too."  
"Obviously?" George (Venturi) retorted. "Where on earth did you pick that up? Terri, as flattered as I am…" He glanced over at Nora who looked like she was holding in an unpleasant outburst. "I'm in love with Nora. And I intend to stay in love with Nora, dare I say it, until death do us part."

"Aw, that's so cute!" Casey grinned as George now kissed his blushing wife. Derek rolled his eyes; his dad could be so cheesy at times.

"Terri, I want the ring back." George P. demanded. "You lied and said I broke up with you? Well, now I'm making that lie become true officially."

"And I want you out of my house." Nora declared, scowling at her even if her husband had her pulled close. "George kindly helps you out and this is how you repay him? Lying to us all and embarrassing yourself?"

"You're house?" Terri asked, frowning. "But wasn't it George's house before you invaded?"

"Invaded!?" Nora shouted; George held her back, placing a reassuring arm around her shoulders.

"What's mine is Nora's." George said firmly. "Now get out before you wake up the kids." He released his grip on Nora to open the door. Terri scowled after grabbing her purse and other belongings.

"You want your stupid ring? Here, take it." Terri scoffed, handing (slamming?) it back into George P's outstretched hand. "It probably wouldn't sell for much in the pawn shop anyway."

"Think what you want." George P. said simply, placing the ring in his pocket. Derek smirked as Terri darted one more look at him before exiting.  
"By the way, Terri," George (Venturi) called out before shutting the door close. "You're fired!"

"Way to set her straight, George." Casey admired. She glanced over at Derek and flashed him an appreciative smile.

"I still can't believe Edwin was right all this time." Nora sighed, shaking her head.

"Remind me to raise his allowance," her husband added.

"Well, I'm sorry for the trouble tonight," George P. apologized, shaking George V's hand. "I've got to get home before tomorrow afternoon."

As soon as George P. left and Nora and his Dad resided to their bedroom, he glanced over at Casey who finally closed her book for the night.

"Well, Derek Venturi, I must say that I'm impressed."

Derek rolled his eyes. "Hey, us Venturi's know when to act upon our gut feelings and even if it wasn't mine this time I know you McDonalds probably would have done the same thing."

"Probably." Casey agreed. "But that's not why I'm so impressed."

"Then why are you so impressed?" Derek wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm impressed because you subconsciously and fully learned the second part of the code." Casey winked at him. "Keep this up, and I'll have turned you into a knight in no time." She giggled. "Also, I'll be able to use you as my own personal slave sooner than I thought. Well, good night." Derek shook his head as Casey made her way up the stairs, trying to rid the image of him cleaning Casey's room and doing her chores. He just hoped that Casey wouldn't make him wear a stupid maid outfit or anything.

-Fin-

A/N: Of course writers' block had to hit me during this chapter. It just adores me. Anyway, yeah I know the whole Terri plot seems kind of surreal (and like I said in my previous A/N far-fetched) but she's only been in one episode so we really don't know what her character is actually like. George Prindergrass (how the heck do you spell his last name!?) was a fun character to experiment with seeing as he never made a real appearance in the show. Lol. I hope everyone enjoyed this update! Thanks so much for reading! Until next time, guys.

"_Never let go of the one you truly love_"

-December'sRose


	4. Chapter Three

Title: Casey's Code of Chivalry

Rated T

Summary:After Sally breaks up with Derek Casey offers to help him win her back. The catch? If Casey can turn Derek into Sally's knight in shining armor he has to wait on her hand and foot until she tells him otherwise. Will chaos ensue? Probably. .:Dasey:.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek

A/N: Okay, as pleased and excited as I am about "Derek Denies Denial" approaching, I really was worried about it a while back. It just seems like that one episode that will kill the plot of this fanfic. So, to be safe, I'm ignoring it when it comes to this story. I'm not sure if I'll add random things from the episode, but that might not make sense in the long run because if I add something that acknowledges a thing Edwin said or did in the episode, I'm acknowledging Derek's break up with Sally and that it's effecting him more than I personally want it to. I'll figure out how to mush some of season 4 after the episode without ruining my plot later but until then, here's chapter 3. (Btw, I haven't even seen the next episode yet, I was just going off of various summaries I've heard of it. So, don't worry, I didn't spoil anyone) Thanks so much for all the reviews and I hope everyone enjoys this update!

* * *

III. Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor.

* * *

"You're kidding!"

Casey rolled her eyes as Emily laughed, clearly amused. She had just gotten through telling her best friend all the details of the past two days. It was entertaining seeing Emily's reaction go from delighted (when Casey informed her about the Derek/Sally break up), to astounded (she had given her the 411 on the event that happened last night with Terri and George P) and back to amused (when Casey finally tied up her story by informing Emily about her initial plan of action).

"Chivalry." Was all her best friend could manage. "You're teaching him how to be chivalrous."

"It can be done and it will be done." Casey protested, leaning against the wall of lockers. "…And don't you dare say that chivalry is dead." She snapped for Emily had opened her mouth and raised her eyebrow. Emily closed her mouth and just shook her head in response.  
"Fine, I won't say it." She finally replied, grinning. "But come on, Case, chivalry? I mean, can you seriously expect Derek to change his ways for one girl?"

"You're forgetting that Derek tried to change for Kendra before they first went out." Casey reminded her, grinning at the memory. "Besides, Sally isn't just another girl to Derek and he's actually cooperating. Plus, I think he's getting the hang of chivalry if I do say so myself."

"Wow, you and Derek working together." Emily smiled. "That's something I thought I'd never see." She closed her locker and the two girls made their way down the hall for the bell was about to ring.

"Oh please, Em." Casey rolled her eyes. "The only reason I'm helping him is because a. Sally is a good friend of mine and Derek is always more tolerable when she's in the picture and b. if I can turn him into a knight in shining armor I get my own personal slave."

"Casey!" Emily giggled; the best friends paused as they approached the place where they split up for classes. "That's terrible!"

"Really? I don't think so." She grinned.

Emily smiled. "So, what's next the next chivalrous thing Derek needs to learn?"

"Let's see." Casey shifted her English binder so she could open it easier. "Number 3: Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor." She closed her notebook as a smirk tugged at her mouth.

Emily raised an eyebrow. "How on earth are you going to manage to teach him that?"

"I'm not sure but we can discuss it at lunch because I'm going to be late for class." Casey winced, looking at the clock. Emily sighed as her best friend rushed down the hall, nearly knocking down a small freshman as she ran past. Though pleased about the whole Derek and Sally break up (Emily always made sure to get new information on the couple to put in her Derek research, an on going project she planned to continue at least until they all separated for college) she couldn't help but feel as if Casey was wasting her time. The idea of Derek clad in shining armor and sitting up top a beautiful horse seemed just as surreal as Prince Charming himself.

--

"So, she threw it in your face?" Sam's eyes grew round when Derek nodded in confirmation. "Harsh. First a pie, now a soda. I wonder what's next…."

"Hopefully nothing." Derek declared, wincing at the thought.

"I still can't believe you're willing to win her back after all of that." Sam added. "The Derek I know would have moved on by now…"

"Yeah, well that Derek screwed up a really, important relationship." He snapped. "This Derek is going to win Sally back, you just wait and see."

"Yeah, but by learning chivalry?" Sam laughed. Derek rolled his eyes at him as he stuffed a text book into his locker. "I know Casey's out to prove that stuff still exists, but come on!"

"It's not that part I'm worried about," Derek admitted, once again trying to rid an image of him in a maid outfit.

Sam shook his head, a grin still playing against his face. "So, are you going to talk to Sally today?"  
"If I can manage it."

"Careful that she doesn't have any thing sharp around her when you do."

"Thanks for the tip." Derek muttered. As soon as he shut his locker, the two friends went to meet Ralph in the cafeteria for lunch. Sam frowned as they walked down the halls.

"But seriously, Derek." he continued. "I know you really like Sally and all, but if I were the one wanting to win her back I wouldn't be wasting my time with all this chivalry stuff."  
"What are you talking about, Sam?" Derek sighed, a tad irritated. "You aren't the one who has to learn chivalry so quit acting like you do."

"I know I don't have to learn it." Sam replied in defense. "I was just saying that if chivalry was the right way to go with winning Sally back, don't you think she would have mentioned something about wanting you to be chivalrous ages ago?"

"Girls are confusing." Derek pointed out. "You never know what they really want from you until they yell it at your face-"

"-or until they throw pie or soda in your face."

"Yeah." Derek muttered; his best friend shrugged sheepishly beside him. "Anyway, I've got nothing else to try except Casey's plan, so I'm going with it. The end."

"Fine, fine." Sam agreed. "But don't you think you'd want to hurry up with the lessons instead of dragging them out? If you don't hurry, Sally might not even be interested when your "transformation" is finished."

"Oh, she'll be interested." Derek retorted, purposely ignoring Casey's protesting voice which lingered at the back of his thoughts ("You can't rush perfection, Sam!"). Still, he glanced over at his step-sister and neighbor when they entered the cafeteria. From the corner of his eye he saw Ralph waving, motioning for them to join him but most of his focus remained on Casey. She and Emily were talking intently about something, yet they were smiling as if they had just figured out a new way to torture him during chivalry lessons. Maybe Sam was right after all ("No, he's not!" Casey's imaginary voice argued again). He remembered looking at the list Casey showed him on Friday night and cringing; it seemed at the rate the lessons were going they'd be working on his "transformation" longer than just a few days…

"Has Casey told you what your next lesson is going to be about?"  
Sam's question broke Derek's gaze as they walked over to Ralph. Derek looked anxious as the possibility Sam mentioned earlier sunk in; he needed a plan to get that list from Casey. Who needed a coach when all your answers about chivalry were on paper? Perhaps it was time to take the matter into his own hands.

--

"I still can't believe Sally threw soda in his face," Emily exclaimed, jotting the detail down in her hallway notebook. Casey shrugged as she picked at her salad.

"Well, she did slam a pie into his face once, so I believe it."

Her best friend giggled. "Yeah, but still. It's kind of weird, don't you think? We all _know_ Derek is insensitive." Emily said. "Yet normal girls will line up to go out with him and take him for who he is in a heart beat."

"Derek can have his sensitive moments." Casey mused, remembering the Scott incident again. In truth, Casey realized that though Derek was indeed hesitant about changing for a girl, Sally changed him without him even knowing it. Like she had mentioned to Emily earlier, Derek was much more tolerable when Sally was in the picture (as if he was trying to impress her or something) and always bent over backwards extra just to make her happy. It was funny; though she agreed with Sally that Derek was in fact insensitive at times, she felt that Sally must have over reacted during the first break up and when she threw that tantrum in the restaurant Saturday. Maybe she just wasn't used to Derek yet like Casey was or like most of her friends were. Casey glanced up from her salad and took an interest in watching Emily write notes down in her notebook. An idea crossed her mind and she smiled.

"Hey Em, do you still have that Derek/Kendra research in there?" Emily looked up, offended.  
"What type of question is that?" She asked, winking as she opened her notebook to Casey's desired location and slid it to her. Casey grinned and went over it. It was color-coded, just like the rest of the notebook, only the Derek and Kendra research was highlighted with a blue.  
"It means confusion." Emily informed her as if she had read Casey's thoughts. "That was back when Derek and Kendra were surprising us all when they were still together after two months."

"Nice." Casey complimented, amused at the enthusiasm while glancing over petty facts:

Day 55: Kendra and Derek are _still _playing in the maze.

Day 56: Cozy, cuddling on the stairs.

Day 57: Kendra and Derek seemed to got into a fight. Minor argument. Not many words used that I could hear except "Liar" and "cheat." Will look into this later.

"Emily, did you ever find out what that fight was about?" Casey asked, only half-concerned as she flipped to the post-break up notes. Emily thought for a second after glancing over to see what Casey was looking at.

"Surprisingly, not really." She admitted. "It was a minor fight I think, I wasn't really interested in researching it after Kendra accused Derek of cheating on her when she caught him flirting with another girl. It blew over quickly."

"Hm…" The post-break up notes seemed well organized, highlighting various Derek tidbits that Casey found extremely valuable:

Day 78: Derek avoiding Kendra again.

Day 79: Derek overheard saying that Kendra was indeed an annoying girlfriend and hoping that he'd never come across another girl like her in the future.

Right after that, Sally's name appeared for the first time, highlighted a yellow for caution. Rather than asking Emily why she bothered color-coding Sally yellow, she glanced up at her best friend.

"Are you planning on using my Derek research for your chivalry lessons?" Emily asked before Casey said anything. Casey grinned after glancing over at Kendra, who was talking animatedly to her friends over at a corner of the lunch room.  
"Whatever gave you that idea?"

* * *

He hated his poor memory. Sure, he could remember important stuff like when the next hockey game would be on but when it came to things and matters that weren't so important…

It was times like these Derek wished he was actually brain smart, like those smart guys on television. The ones with photographic memory. If he had that power, then his problems would be solved for all he'd have to do is set his brain back to that Friday when Casey first showed him the list. The code of chivalry would roll up his mind, like credits on a movie screen, and he wouldn't have to waste any more time that could be harmful to any future intentions with Sally.

As Derek drove home from work that afternoon, he kept thinking about different possible locations where Casey could have stored the list. His first obvious choice would be her desk drawer, but then again he knew Casey liked to have her notes on her at all times so her school binder was another suitable location as well.

Much to his disappointment and displeasure, Sally called in "sick" that day. For a moment, it had pleased him to know that she hadn't quit her job because of him but soon after he thought about it, he felt lousy. The only reason Sally probably hadn't quit Smelly Nelly's yet was because of the fact that she was stubborn and she wouldn't let Derek ruin her job. The idea of him blackmailing Sally with the threat of firing her unless she agreed to give him another chance crossed his mind, but Derek knew that the plan would backfire against him if he ever were to try it out.

"I'll have Edwin find the list tonight." Derek mused out loud as he pulled to a stop light. Casey had caught a ride with Emily that afternoon, claiming that there was a matter to be taken care of. Derek had a strong feeling that this matter had to do with a chivalry lesson (something Casey hadn't mentioned all day that day) later on tonight.

Sure enough, when Derek trudged through the front door of the Venturi-McDonald household there were Casey and Kendra, chatting innocently on the couch.

"Hey Derek," Casey greeted, a twinkle in her eye. Kendra flashed him a smile that seemed so innocent, Derek knew that Casey was up to something in a heartbeat.  
"Hey," Derek responded finally when he found his voice. He stood quiet for a moment looking at Casey who appeared to be positively delighted about something. "What gives? You two never used to hang out before."

"Oh Derek, you must know why I'm here at least." Kendra exclaimed after exchanging amused glances with Casey.

"No, I really don't." Derek told her, honestly. He hadn't spoken to Kendra since the night of the "blind date". They had passed each other in the halls, but said nothing. Derek was also sure that Kendra wasn't worried or concerned about the fact that he lied to her and tried to set her up with Noel; he overheard her and her friend talking about a date she went on with Patrick one night.

All he could do was wonder what Casey had up her sleeves now.

"Der-bear, you can stop pretending." Kendra went on; Derek tried not to cringe at the old nickname. "Casey told me all about it."

"All about _what_?" At this, Derek darted an utterly confused glance in Casey's direction. The smug smile plastered on his step-sister's face seemed haunting.

"About how you wanted to get back together with me but you were too shy to make a move." Kendra smiled. "She also told me how Sally ended your relationship and wants nothing to do with you anymore."

"Oh she did, did she?" Derek asked, half-stunned half-furious as he looked back at Casey who had taken a sudden interest in her fingernails. Before he let his anger consume him the thought crossed his mind: this was a test. It had to be. Casey and Kendra were testing him about something in chivalry. That's why she wanted a ride home with Emily, so she could pick up Kendra and beat Derek there before he got home from work! The question remained: what was their plan?

"Yep," Kendra giggled, making her way over to cling to his arm. "And I'm glad she did. I never liked the idea of you and Sally together, and now I can have you all to myself." As Kendra beamed up at him, Derek felt his insides twist uncomfortably. The thought of dating her again seemed almost as displeasing as the idea of Sally not taking him back after he finished all these chivalry lessons.

"But aren't you dating Patrick?" Derek asked nervously.

"No silly!" Kendra giggled. "I only went on one date with him, and to be honest it wasn't all that great."

That wasn't good. Derek had to get out of this mess somehow. On one hand, he could break Kendra's heart here and now and never have to deal with her again. On the other hand, he could always be honest with her and say politely that he didn't want to date her because he was still interested in Sally. Derek was about to go with his first plan, not really caring about the fact that Kendra might want revenge later. He glanced over at Casey who was still looking at her nails but watching the show from the corner of her eye. So that was it. Without her even having to tell him Casey had just given him the answer. She wanted Derek to be honest with Kendra, no matter how hurtful the truth was. An idea entered his mind and he smirked.

"So, Casey told you that Sally wasn't interested in me anymore?"

"That's right."

"Okay, so she also must of told you that she conducted a scheme if you will for me to win Sally back."

Kendra's smile faltered. "No…that didn't come up." She glanced over at Casey, a frown now apparent on her face. Casey looked up, alarmed, raising an eyebrow. Good, Derek thought. Her plan is about to backfire and I'd still pass the chivalry 'lesson'.

"Yeah," He continued, trying to keep a straight face. "Casey's making me learn chivalry stuff in order for me to win Sally back. So, I believe she was lying to you all this time." Derek waited for the water works for he knew they would follow shortly. Only, after a second, they didn't come. Kendra's face remained unreadable as she stared at him, like she was trying to figure out if he was telling her some type of joke. He glanced at Casey slightly who's expression had gone from alarmed to amused. Kendra let out a sigh.

"Well, that's a relief." She told him, a playful smirk etching into her features. Casey stifled a giggle at Derek's confused expression. It took him a moment before he finally realized his theory about Casey's plan had been right in the first place. "Derek, you know I wouldn't mind dating you again but I kind of have my eye on someone at the moment. No hard feelings, right?"

"None what so ever." Derek assured her, feeling relived himself. He glanced at Casey again who looked pleased that Derek again seemed to figure out her chivalry lesson, and rather satisfied that he was making progress.

"Well, good luck you your chivalry lessons." Kendra giggled, picking up her jacket from the couch. "Though I still can't picture you as a knight in shining armor…"

"Thanks for the encouragement." Derek muttered sarcastically. "Want a ride home?"

"Nah, I called Trevor to pick me up before you got here. He's taking me out to dinner tonight." Kendra added proudly. Derek raised an eyebrow as he watched Kendra leave the Venturi-McDonald residence. As soon as the door closed, he turned to Casey fully.

"Kendra and Trevor? Trevor the punk?"

"Yeah, I know; it surprised me too." Casey admitted, smirking. "Not as much as you did tonight though; I'm surprised you caught on so quickly."

"Well, it wasn't that hard." Derek informed her, kicking back his recliner before falling into it. Casey rolled her eyes at him, the smirk never leaving her expression.

"Still, I must say I'm proud of you Derek Venturi. You're catching on to chivalry quicker than I thought you would."  
"Yeah, yeah." Derek waved aside the praise. "So what was today's lesson about anyway?"

"Live one's life so that it's worthy of respect and honor." Casey informed him, almost automatically. Derek felt a twinge of guilt as his previous plan surfaced his thoughts. Of course, Edwin was no where to be seen but the fact that he was going to have his brother steal the list from Casey made him feel uneasy when Casey gave him proud compliments such as these. It made him rethink the idea Sam implanted in his brain earlier. He promised himself that he would stick to Casey's plan no matter how annoying it would get. Sally would still taking after he proved himself worthy to her, wouldn't she? Even if these chivalry lessons took weeks? All he could do was assure himself, yes. Yes, she would.

The two were called to the dinner table not even twenty minutes later. Derek paused the hockey game he had on and found himself in a more pleasant mood than he was in when he entered his house. Casual conversation made it's way around the table; Lizzie and Edwin discussing a new research project, Marti complaining that she and Daphne were in a fight while Nora tried to give her advice, Casey explaining to George why she should get a raise in her clothing allowance. Today's chivalry lesson had been forgotten and as for the idea of Edwin stealing the list for him? Well, what Casey didn't know wouldn't hurt her one bit.

-Fin-

A/N: I'm happy I was able to get this up before "Derek Denies Denial" honestly. I'm also happy that I decided to play around with Kendra's character for a bit. I'm not used to writing her at all so I was practicing really. Was she OOC? Thanks so much for reading everyone, I'll try to have chapter 4 up as soon as I can. Until next time!

__

"Never let go of the one you truly love."

-December'sRose


	5. Chapter Four

Title: Casey's Code of Chivalry

Rated T

Summary: After Sally breaks up with Derek Casey offers to help him win her back. The catch? If she can turn Derek into Sally's knight in shinning armor, Derek has to wait on her hand and foot until she tells him otherwise. Will chaos ensue? Probably. .:Dasey:.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry it's taking me so long to update this, but I still do plan on finishing this fanfic up so please be patient with me. I've thought long and hard about how I could incorporate mentions of season 4 episodes after Derek Denies Denial, but especially with the latest one No Secrets, I don't think I can. So, like I said before I'm going to ignore all episodes that happened after Derek Denies Denial. (Even if that one episode wasn't my favorite of the new season, I still loved Happy New Schoolyear endlessly!). Anyway, I know my blabbering on about nothing of major importance is hardly entertaining, so I'll shut up and on that note, here's chapter 4! Thanks so much for the reviews on chapter 3, and I hope you all enjoy this new, somewhat Dasey hinting filled, update.

* * *

IV. Live for freedom, justice, and all that is good.

* * *

"Forget it, Derek. I've got nothing further to say to you." Sally retorted bitterly after smiling to a customer who handed her a tip. Derek watched as she began to clear the table.

"Then don't talk, just listen." He protested.

"You're impossible."

Derek smirked triumphantly as Sally rolled her eyes, trying to make her way around him. He knew Sally was in no mood to deal with him that moment, especially with the slight, weekday dinner rush happening currently. Still, he stopped her anyway, determined to have her listen to what he had to say.

"Excuse me, but I have customers." Sally informed him, icily. "Besides, I thought the soda made it clear that I'm not giving you any more chances."

"Just hear me out." Derek pleaded, making sure that his voice sounded pathetic and desperate. Like he predicted, Sally closed her eyes in annoyance before turning to her ex-boyfriend, glaring.

"You've got a minute." She told him. "Make it quick."

"I know the last thing you want to do right now is give me another chance," Derek began hastily. "But what if I said I'll change for you?"  
At this, Sally laughed. "Please, you think I'm going to fall for that?" She asked. "I know you, Derek Venturi, and I know you don't change for _any_ girl."

"Not true." He protested honestly, remembering the days before he started dating Kendra and how Casey tricked him into changing to impress her. "I'm serious, Sally. I know I've screwed up, and I regret it. I know I can act insensitive but I promise I can change. I even have Casey helping me out."

"You and Casey McDonald working together." Sally said, smiling thinly. "Never thought I'd see the day when that'd happen."

Derek ignored this classic reaction. "I know you're not going to give me another chance anytime soon, but…can you wait? For me, I mean."

"Wait for what?" Sally asked, now growing impatient.

"For me to change." Derek said finally, after fumbling for the right words. Sally looked at him incredulously.

"…And how long do you expect me to wait, exactly?" Sally demanded. She looked into his eyes and sighed. "Derek, don't do this…"

"All I'm asking is for you to wait," He continued, cutting her off. "If you like the new me enough to give me another chance that's great. If not, I won't chase after you anymore."

Sally considered this in a thoughtful manner. After a moment, she shook her head, smirking. "Fine." She agreed, reluctantly. "But don't expect me to wait too long. Now, can you get out of my way so I can finish my work?"

Derek happily obliged, and when Sally's back was turned he congratulated himself on a plan well executed. He had been thinking about it since Kendra left the night before, knowing that Sam had been right: Sally may not be interested in his transformation if it took forever to accomplish. Now, Derek felt safe with these prolonged chivalry lessons knowing Sally would indeed wait for him. The threat of not knowing how long exactly still was haunting, but at least he had just bought some time.

* * *

"What do you mean there's not a chivalry lesson today?" Derek asked Casey angrily when he came home from work that same day. Casey looked up from her book, surprised at his reaction.

"Just that: I couldn't think up of anything for the next lesson so I'm skipping it." She informed him, raising an eyebrow. "It's not that big of a deal, and we'll start the lessons up again tomorrow."

Derek groaned impatiently. "Case, you don't get it, do you?" He asked her. "Sally may not want me back if we take so long with these stupid lessons."

"You can't rush perfection." Casey muttered.

"Come on, what was the lesson supposed to be for today?" Derek protested. "Maybe I can help you come up with something."  
"Um, Derek? I'm the one who makes up the lessons. Not you."

"Well, can you tell me the lesson anyway?"

Casey sighed, irritated, as she closed her book to look through her bag. Once she took out her binder, she opened it and glanced at a sheet of paper. "Number 4: live for freedom, justice, and all that is good. That's pretty much what you do anyway so there's no point in really teaching you something you already know."

Derek had to admit, this did make him feel a little better but he still couldn't get over his petty worries. "So, there's no way you can make that into a lesson?"

"Forget it, Derek." Casey told him. "The only thing I can really think of is having you ditch school tomorrow, get caught, and accept whatever punishment the school and George gives you. Hence, the "live for justice" part."

Casey's eyes grew round with guilt as she saw her step-brother was actually considering the plan. "Seriously, forget it Derek." She insisted. "It's a stupid idea…"

"Not exactly," Derek said, grinning. Was he really going to pass this up? An excuse to blame Casey for not going to school that next day? Sure he'd "accept the punishment" but in actuality, Casey would get in trouble for this scam too. And she knew it; that's why she was suddenly so jittery and was now insisting that he'd ignore what she just said.

"Derek, if you ditch school tomorrow and try to blame it on me, there's absolutely no way I'd help you win Sally back." Casey declared, frowning at him as she opened her book back up. Derek shook his head at her before snatching the book out of her hands.

"Der-ek!"

"Case, are you going to be a straight edge your whole life?" Derek mused, sitting on the couch arm as he held the book away from her tauntingly. Casey glared at him, trying to grab her book back and failing for Derek childishly yanked the book even farther from her reach.

"I am _not_ a straight edge." Casey protested firmly, failing at another attempt to get the book back from him. "And I meant what I said," She continued, now deciding to fully get up from her seat on the couch to wrestle her book out of Derek's grasp. "So, if you don't give me back my book _now_, I'm not helping you win Sally back."

Derek grinned, surrendering. Casey clutched her book closely as she made her way back to her spot on the couch, frowning up at him. He really wasn't going to force her into skipping with him, even if the thought had crossed his mind. Derek could already picture Casey freaking out, constantly looking over her shoulder as if the principal was tailing them. She'd be an absolute wreck.

Actually, Derek had never really ditched either….though he came close once. Sure, he maintained a low grade average, but that was due to his constant sleeping in class, or simply "forgetting" to turn in assignments. He also knew that if his Dad ever caught him skipping, he'd be grounded till the end of the century.

"You're so predictable, Derek." Casey grumbled.

"I could say the same thing about you too, McDonald."

"I'm _not_ a straight edge!" Casey exclaimed, again, trying to ignore her step-brother as she buried her nose into her book. After a moment, she glanced up. "Am I?"

"You really want me to answer that?"

"Okay you two, whatever you're arguing about, stop now." Nora demanded as she and Marti entered the living room. Marti skipped up ahead in order to get her jacket; Casey glanced at them.

"Where are you guys going so late?" She asked.

"Marti's school." Nora told her, somewhat tired. "I completely forgot that Marti volunteered me to help with some meeting her art club is having tonight."

"Nora was supposed to bring cookies again." Marti added, pointing to the container Casey's mother had been holding in her left hand.

"So, can you two do me a favor?" Nora continued, helping the eight year-old put on her coat. "George is running late over at the office, Lizzie and Edwin are upstairs working on a science project of some sort and I need you two to start dinner. There's spaghetti in the cabinet and tomato sauce in the fridge."

"Yum!" Marti cheered.

"Nora, uh, in case you haven't noticed I can't cook." Derek reminded her, simply. Casey rolled her eyes at him, remembering the burnt scrambled eggs he had made previously that week. "So, I guess it'll just have to be up to Casey to make dinner tonight. Don't forget the garlic bread for the side." He added as an after note, reaching over to pick up the remote so he could turn on a hockey game. Before Casey could even could even shout his name in two syllables, Nora snatched the remote from her step-son's hand and turned off the television with a firm glare.  
"Derek, dinner will get finished quickly if you two work together on it." She encouraged. "George should be home in thirty minutes."

"You do realize you're on your own with this, right?" Derek laughed, reaching for the remote as soon as Nora and Marti walked out the door. Casey was even faster than her Mom and snagged Derek's favorite toy before he could even touch it.

"You do realize that you are helping me with this, right?" She mocked, revealing a second gray remote from behind her. Derek rolled his eyes as she waved his personal remote towards the direction of the kitchen, tauntingly. "Come on, even you can boil water for spaghetti."

"Fine." He agreed, finally. As he got up from his chair, Derek made sure to make a big deal over it, acting as if Casey was making him jog after running a marathon. His step-sister shook her head at his over dramatics and led the way to the kitchen.

"Okay, so here's the spaghetti." She announced, placing the pasta on the counter. "Derek, can you start the water while I get the tomato sauce?"

Derek shrugged, retrieving a pot from the dishwasher. After filling it to the rim with water, he placed it on the stove and turned on the gas. "There, I'm done." He proclaimed, trying to make a quick getaway back to the living room.

"Not so fast." Casey declared, frowning at him as she opened the jar of tomato sauce. Derek looked at her incredulously.

"What?" He demanded. "I put the water on to boil, and you want me to do more? I'll jeopardize dinner for everyone!"

"Nice try, Venturi." Casey said, smug. "But you and I both know that the only reason you "can't cook" is because of how lazy you are. Mom told us both to work on dinner tonight, so don't even think about going back in that living room!"

"So, what do you want me to do?" Derek repeated, irritably. Casey's smile was victorious as she took out a smaller pot for the sauce.

"You can start by seasoning the tomato sauce."

"Isn't it already seasoned?" He indicated the ingredients on the back of the jar. Casey looked at him . "Don't you ever want to go the extra mile? Think of how happy Mom and George would be, coming home after a long day to a really, well-cooked meal!"

"Okay, so a little salt and pepper, and I'm free?"

"Just think of it as a chivalry lesson." She winked, pouring the spaghetti into the now boiling water. Derek remained stumped for a moment before taking the opened jar of sauce and pouring into his own pot. He had to admit, he was grateful to Casey for helping him out in the first place (even if her act of kindness was used for personal gain) but couldn't help but feel the confusion he felt with some of these so called "lessons".

"What are you doing?" Casey demanded, almost slamming the spoon she had been stirring with on the counter. He looked at her, smirking.

"I take it you've never tried spaghetti with hot/tomato sauce." Derek guessed, tilting the bottle of hot sauce over the pot. Casey's eyes grew round with disgust.  
"Der-ek! We all have to eat that, and I don't know about you but I hate putting hot sauce in my spaghetti sauce!"

"Aw," Derek laughed. "Well that's too bad." He continued pouring the contents of the bottle into the pot.

Furious, Casey reached for the bottle which only led to Derek flinging it out of her reach, accidentally spilling some of the hot sauce on the floor.

"Derek, you're making a mess!" She shrieked angrily, trying to snag the bottle again. As Derek kept it away from her, more sauce fell from the bottle, bits and pieces flying solo. Casey twitched as some landed on her.

"What's the matter, Case?" Derek asked, amused. "You don't like things a little spicy?"

"That's not the point!" Casey declared, wiping sauce from her cheek. She finally got grasp of Derek's hands and tried to wrestle the hot sauce from him. "Everyone's eating that sauce, not just you!"

"Case, watch it!" Derek warned, but it was too late. Casey's struggling led her to knock into handle the sauce pan that was warming up. It tipped over and before either could stop it, the spaghetti sauce splashed all over the floor and cabinets.

"Der-ek!" She wailed. "Look what you made me do!"

"Me?" Derek protested, setting down the hot sauce on the counter and knowing very well their game was over. "You're the one who wouldn't let go!"

"What's going on here?"

Both teenagers turned and immediately tensed as they spotted George walking through the door. Derek glanced at Casey and saw that she was becoming nervous.

"What a mess!" George exclaimed; he frowned at the two. "Mind telling me what happened here?"

"Well, you see, what happened was…" Casey began rambling, but Derek cut her off abruptly.

"What happened was….Casey and I were trying to make dinner for you guys, but I started arguing with her and accidentally knocked over the sauce pan. She had nothing to do with it."  
Casey and George looked at him in disbelief.

"I swear, we can never leave you two alone!" George muttered. "You two are always fighting. Derek, clean this up before Nora gets home. We'll discuss your punishment later."

"Looking forward to it." Derek grumbled, sarcastically.

"I'll help." Casey told him, smiling. She bent over to pick up the fallen pot. "And thanks."

Derek smirked at her. "Just think of it as a favor."

"Well, whatever it is, I appreciate it." She assured him. Her eyes twinkled with amusement as Derek handed her a sponge. "You do realize you've just mastered the fourth part of the code, don't you?"

"Live for freedom, justice, and all that is good?" Derek asked, blinking. He broke out into a smug grin. "Guess I'm getting better at this chivalry junk, huh? Sally's going to take me back in no time."

"Thanks for ruining the moment." Casey muttered, under her breath. Sure, she was happy that Derek was indeed progressing well with her lessons, but felt a twinge of annoyance. Sally sure wasn't appreciating all the hard work and effort her step-brother was putting in to win her back and Casey couldn't help but predict that even if Derek somehow managed to master the entire code, Sally wouldn't take him back at all.

-Fin-

A/N: I was debating whether or not to end it where I did, but then decided to just go with it. Casey's getting a little irritated with Sally, don't you think? Foreshadowing perhaps? Thanks so much for reading! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to update this sooner, college is eating up most of my time during the week so there's limited writing time. Plus, I'll be starting a new job soon and starting back with my Tae Kwon Do lessons, so my schedule will be a bit hectic. Still, I hope everyone enjoyed this update. Thanks again for the reviews. Until next time, guys!

_"Never let go of the one you truly love"_

-December'sRose


	6. Chapter Five

Title: Casey's Code of Chivalry

Rated T

Summary: After Sally breaks up with Derek Casey offers to help him win her back. The catch? If Casey can turn Derek into Sally's knight in shining armor he has to wait on her hand and foot until she tells him otherwise. Will chaos ensue? Probably. .:Dasey:.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek or "_I Am Legend"_

A/N: Could it be? Yes, it's an update! Before Christmas! I'm sorry for the delay! I'm finally on vacation now and hopefully that will allot me some more free time to write. Thanks again so much for the reviews! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

* * *

V. Never attack an unarmed foe.

* * *

George still found the idea of his son taking chivalry lessons from Casey hysterical.

Nora thought it was sweet that Derek was willing to change for Sally, and was more than pleased that Casey and Derek were actually cooperating for once.

Lizzie felt that her older sister was wasting her time, knowing fully well that even if Casey did turn Derek into some knight in the end, Derek would weasel his way out of the deal somehow.

Marti had hardly been paying attention to her older brother's current situation. She knew of the chivalry lessons and that Sally wasn't even talking to Smerek anymore but Marti found the heated debate she was having with Daphne on why ponies should lay eggs much more intriguing.

Edwin was already making bets with his sister and Lizzie, having faith that Derek would indeed give up on these chivalry lessons as soon as he found interest in another girl.

Casey was still excited that Derek was progressing slowly. She knew that she also owed him a favor because of the other night as well.

Derek, on the other hand, was currently wondering if his dad would be too angry with him if Edwin came home one day slightly injured from a paintball attack. He mused over possibilities. His best friend, Ralph had started a new sport; paintball. Yes, a sport. Not a hobby. Ralph had all the equipment and Derek was almost sure that the drummer would let him use it for…his own personal revenge.

The only problem was that paintball was taken seriously. If you didn't wear the proper, protective gear when attacked you could get injured. He didn't think his Dad would be too forgiving if Derek was the reason Edwin landed in the hospital with multiple bruises. No, Derek had to think of something else. Water guns were too juvenile a weapon these days. Sure he could fill them up with something other than water Derek knew he had more creativity then that.

His creativity was what busted Terri days before. His creativity was what kept Casey annoyed with him almost twenty four seven.

The thought of Casey's name made him frown. She and her stupid, chivalry lessons where the only things that stood in his way. Casey hadn't yet told him his next so called lesson…and that was because Derek had avoided her since the whole hot sauce incident. He could tell she was grateful for what he did. Derek didn't know what possessed him to take the blame for Casey (especially when she _clearly_ started the whole mess in the first place) but an impulsive urge had taken over. Derek felt ashamed that he let himself feel sorry for his step-sister. That he let himself feel _anything_ for his step-sister.

Knowing Casey, she was probably trying to figure out some way to repay him for the favor. He didn't want any cheesy sincerity. He just wanted her to stop making a fuss about the whole ordeal in the first place.

Paintball, out.

Water guns, out.

His creative ideas were limited and Derek hated it when he lacked creativity. He normally didn't hold grudges. They were pointless, a waste of time. Why irritate himself even further over something as trivial as his little brother trying to get away with disobedience towards him? As trivial as Edwin thinking he had right to boss _him_ around?

Because Edwin needed to _know_ his place in the Venturi-McDonald household.

Because Edwin needed to _learn_ respect for his elder brother.

It wasn't just the whole matter of that first day of chivalry lessons; since the Teddy scenario that both McDonald and Venturi's swore not to bring up again, his brother had shown his fair share of reluctance. Derek needed to teach him the ways of the Venturi brothers again:

He was in charge.

Edwin did _everything_ he said. Without complaints.

The rest of the residents ignored them and went about their business.

The eldest Venturi groaned as he lay back on his bed, facing his ceiling. The start of a new Friday. School had let out earlier and Derek couldn't help but feel rejuvenated. He had a shift at Smelly Nelly's the following Saturday evening which pleased him. Today, nothing was bogging him down. Nothing except him getting over his creativity block that was.

He had no earthly idea of what his little sister was doing but he was certain that Casey and Lizzie were downstairs discussing Lizzie's current crush or something. That's where he last left them before going upstairs after he got his usual snack.  
Edwin wasn't anywhere to be found. He had a hunch the tween was currently hanging out with Michelle.

As Derek glanced at his cell phone, he was reminded of Sally's non existent calls. When they had first started dating, the calls were anything but rare. They'd spend hours on the phone if they could manage; always late into the night.

Derek wasn't one for mushy romance or feelings, but any moron could see how happy that one girl made him. That song he wrote for her didn't even begin to describe the way he felt. Which is why he wanted her back.

Almost desperately.

Well, at least desperate enough to ask Casey for help with the matter.

"Hey."

Speak of the devil.

Derek turned his head to see his step-sister enter without even knocking. He noted that she was dressed in a non-relaxed attire…skinny jeans, her favorite coral shirt…blue eye shadow.

"Hey what?" Derek retaliated.

Casey rolled her eyes at the immaturity. "Come on, you're not spending Friday night stuck up in here are you?"  
"You should talk," Derek scoffed. "You haven't been out on a Friday night in weeks."

"What are you talking about? I always hang out with Emily." Casey protested.

"No, Emily always hangs out with you." Derek corrected as he got off the bed so face her upright.

"Well, not tonight she's not," Casey informed him, cheerfully. "Remember how you said I should think of the other night as a favor? I really want to repay you for that."

Ugh, here we go.

"Want to join me and Lizzie at the movies tonight? We're meeting up with Edwin and Michelle. My treat."

"The kid doesn't mind his step-sisters tagging along on a date?" Derek inquired, smirking.

"Edwin said he was fine with it," Casey said with a shrug.

"Well as much as I'd love to sit through a two hour movie with you," Derek began as Casey lifted an eyebrow. "I'm busy."

"Yeah, sure you are." Casey rolled her eyes. "You haven't been out on a date since Sally…uh…" She stopped short when she saw her step-brother wince. "Well, anyway." Casey continued, hastily. "I think a movie will be good for the both of us."

Derek thought about this for a moment. It wasn't really a horrible idea. Besides maybe his creativity block would be lifted if he took a good, two hour long break.

"Fine, I'll let you treat me." He said with a grin. Casey rolled her eyes.

"You know, a simple 'thank you' would have sufficed." She muttered.

* * *

"Zombies. Why did the movie have to be about zombies?" Casey groaned as the clan re-entered the Venturi-McDonald household. Behind her, Edwin shrugged despite the fact that Casey couldn't see it for she was currently hanging up her coat.

"Michelle and I have been wanting to see "_I Am Legend" _for the longest time now."

"Still, you couldn't pick a happier movie?" Lizzie complained. "That poor dog."

"Hey, you didn't seem to mind when Anthony let you hide your face in his shirt." Edwin grumbled. Anthony had been Lizzie's so-called crush. He had met up with them after Casey made Lizzie call him and ask if he wanted to join the group.

"Well, I for one loved it." Derek announced, as if his opinion was the only one that mattered. Casey sighed.

"I enjoyed it too," she admitted. "…but not the end. And I could do without the zombies."

"What are you talking about? The ending and the zombies were great!" Edwin argued.

"That poor dog." Lizzie repeated, pouting.

"Hey, guys keep it down I'm _trying_ to watch cartoons." Marti called over from the couch. Lizzie shrugged off her coat and headed over to join her. Nora and George were most likely downstairs in their own bedroom, trusting that Marti would still be rooted in the same spot when they came back up the stairs.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry." Derek declared as he began making his way to the kitchen. "I probably wouldn't be so hungry if someone wouldn't have been so picky about concessions."

"Hey, I said I'd treat you to a movie. I didn't say I'd buy every single item from the candy bar!" Casey argued, following him into the kitchen with Edwin tailing behind.

"Whatever, Space Case." Derek brushed off her defense easily. "Edwin. Sandwich. Now."

"Make your own."

The silence that followed this remark was indescribable. Derek looked at his little brother with a hard expression. Casey rolled her eyes, being the first to break the short silence.

"Derek, grow up. Edwin isn't your slave."  
"Exactly!" Edwin protested as he stepped along side Casey. Derek frowned. He had been having a really great night since he got to the movie theater. Sure he and Casey fought over the armrest but in all the movie had been enjoyable enough to make him forget about Casey. And Sally. Sort of.

He wasn't about to let Casey tell him how he should treat his little brother.

"Edwin, I'm going to pretend you didn't resist the first time. Now, make me a sandwich."

"Forget it, Derek, Casey's right." Edwin argued. "I'm not your slave."  
"No, you're my _brother_. Which means you basically have to do everything I say."

"You can be so immature." Casey declared, bitterly. Derek looked over at her. She had her arms crossed in annoyance and as she huffed and rolled her eyes and idea crossed his mind.

"Casey, Casey, Casey….is that any way to treat me? Especially after I took the blame for last night?"

"Hey, I paid back that favor." Casey said, frowning. "Don't hold that against me."

"But wouldn't it look bad if you messed up the kitchen again?"  
Casey paused, confused, as Derek went to retrieve a 2 liter bottle of soda from the fridge.

"What are you talking about? The kitchen isn't…you wouldn't dare." Casey finished, stepping back as Derek pointed the nozzle of the bottle at her after shaking it.

"Derek, leave Casey alone." Edwin tried, only finding himself stepping even further back than his step-sister had.

"Oh, I wouldn't?" Derek demanded.

"No, you wouldn't." Casey said, attempting to seem unafraid of the soda that could stain her favorite shirt. She stood up straighter. "I wasn't going to give you another lesson today, because of last night, but today's lesson in chivalry: never attack an unarmed foe. You really don't want to jeopardize your lessons because of a stupid mistake, now do you?" Casey thought she had him. She glanced at his expression knowing that Derek was indeed going over the matter in his own mind. Edwin, she noticed, had backed up so if needed he could rush to safety into the living room. Casey refused to move, having confidence that Derek was indeed going choose Sally over his stupid pride.

"I'm sure I could do without today's lesson." Derek decided finally, snapping off the cap. Without warning a gush of sticky, orange soda spewed everywhere, especially when Derek covered part of the opening with his index finger so soda would fly in all directions.

"Der-ek! My shirt!" Casey cried out angrily, trying to duck behind the island. She ended up slipping on the soda that was currently resting on the floor. Casey thought she was safe for a moment, but Derek came around with the insane, soda bottle and attempted to soak her once again. Sure, soda fights were as juvenile as water guns. But they were fun. Especially when he was winning.

He heard Lizzie and Marti call out for him to stop from the living room; Edwin had fled the scene quickly. Great, Casey thought as she saw him leave the chaos. I'm never sticking up for him again.

In her attempt to stand up properly, pots and pans were thrown to the floor for she couldn't find balance and kept flailing her arms in order to grasp the island edge. "Derek, you jerk!" She shouted, shielding herself from another attack of soda.

"Enough you two!"

Nora's command rang angrily through the kitchen. Casey looked up when she was sure Derek stopped flinging the soda in her direction. Her mother stood by her bedroom door, clad in a bathrobe and a night gown. Nora's face was redder than Casey had ever seen it.

"Mom, it wasn't my fault-!" Casey tried protesting as she finally managed to stand up. "Derek, he-!"

"Casey, be quiet!" Nora snapped. "George is downstairs with a _headache _because of all the noise you two were making. And look at my kitchen!" She cried. The kitchen was once again in total disarray, only now spotted with sticky soda instead of tomato sauce. She glared at Derek, who nervously tossed the evidence of the soda attack aside. "If you guys love messing up our kitchen _so much_," Nora began, harshly. "Then you'll love cleaning it. Every day for the next two months. It'll give you something to do while you're both grounded."

"Mom, but I-!"

"Casey, you were apart of this as much as Derek was!" Nora declared. "George and I have been really relaxed about punishing you guys. We've given you chance after chance. Maybe grounding you is the best solution right now."

"Best solution?" Derek protested. "No Nora, don't believe that. It's the worst solution…."

"Oh hush." Nora snapped at him. She glared at the two eldest teenagers. "Now, I want this kitchen _spotless_ by the time I come back up stairs. After that Casey, I'm taking away your books and Derek I'm taking away your remotes and television privileges."

"My books?" Casey sputtered. Two whole months without her reading materials? _Two whole months? _This was going to be torture!

"Nora, come on. Isn't this a bit rash?" Derek tried reasoning.

"I don't think so," Nora retorted, turning as she brought a hand to her head. "Just get this kitchen cleaned up. _Now_."

"Derek, I can't _believe _you!" Casey hissed through clenched teeth. Derek frowned at her.

"Did you honestly think I was going to take the blame for you a second time?" He asked. "Good things don't always happen twice."

"Ugh!"

Derek would have laughed at her angry reaction as she stalked passed him to start getting supplies out to clean up the mess. Her anger amused him greatly, and he'd admit it in a heartbeat. The whole fact that he wasn't allowed to watch television for two months wasn't entirely discouraging. Hockey season was over so all the games on were repeats. It wasn't like Nora had grounded him from going out (at least she hadn't said so yet in words). But Casey would go insane without being able to re-read her favorite novels. This was going to be fun.

But even as Casey shoved a roll of paper towels into his arms before dropping to her knees as she started scrubbing the floors with a soapy sponge Derek caught the glare. The look that held a threat as clear as crystal. The start of a challenge.

This meant war.

-Fin-

A/N: Dun dun dun! :has a tomato thrown at her: Okay, I know I stopped it short…but what's Dasey without a bit of chaos? Don't forget, I did warn you all that this might start out as pro-Dally for a while. There are still plenty of chapters to go, I promise! I really hope everyone enjoys this chapter. The next chapter will obviously be continuing off of this one so stay tuned! And Merry Christmas you guys! Thanks so much for reading, and until next time!_  
"Never let go of the one you truly love."_

-December'sRose


	7. Chapter Six

Title: Casey's Code of Chivalry

Rated T

Summary: After Sally breaks up with Derek Casey offers to help him win her back. The catch? If Casey can turn Derek into Sally's knight in shining armor he has to wait on her hand and foot until she tells him otherwise. Will chaos ensue? Probably. .:Dasey:.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek

A/N: Is it sad that I don't have my own summary for this story memorized yet? When that happens, you _know_ you're horrible at updating. Lol. I'm sorry guys! Life has been chaotic with a mixture of college, choir, boy troubles and the search for employment. Stupid economy. I need a new job. But you don't want my excuses. You came here for an update. Before I get to it I just really want to thank you guys all so much for the reviews/favorites/alerts and any support that you're giving me. The feedback means a lot and I always feel so bad if I can't reply to each and every one of your reviews. I certainly try to, but if I miss yours please don't take it personally. I'm naturally scatterbrained and I'm still trying to balance out my fan fiction and original fiction I'm working on (currently, I have 6 books in the works that I hope to publish.) Now you're probably thinking: "Enough of this long and sappy AN! I want my update!"

Okay, okay, here you go! I hope everyone enjoys!

_Chapter dedication: For Emily aka kthxilyxxx on youtube! Thanks so much for making me that awesome trailer! You rock!_

* * *

VI. Never use a weapon on an opponent not equal to the attack

Aka

In which Casey and Derek begin the greatest McDonald-Venturi Civil war known to all.

* * *

P.O.A.

Casey McDonald was a planner.

As a planner, she prided herself on being organized. Systems were friends to her, her close allies. A well-planed system of organization always went a long way.

Plan of Action.

Casey McDonald was never one for violence. Peaceful protests were her ideal way of solving situations. Gently laying down the facts in an organized manner was how to get the job done. Never did she find herself having to resort to crude, tactless violence, just to get her way.

Only, this was no ordinary battle.

This was _personal_.

Where a large collection of books used to be stacked, Casey's bookshelf was _empty_.

It pained her to come into her room, unable to settle in bed to reread a classic, or a new fantasy. Hell, she'd read science fiction if that were the only type of book available.

The only reading materials present in her room were text books on Pre-Cal, Trig, and physics. Though the idea of school pleased her, there was a particular book that she had been in the middle of. A romance, with a main character like Ivanhoe. It was set in modern times, and she enjoyed how the author was able to incorporate chivalry into a world where chivalry was way past dead. It was very much like what she was trying to accomplish with Derek now. Or she had been _trying_ to accomplish anyway.

The thought of Derek infuriated her. He knew her biggest pet peeve was when she was unable to finish the ending of a book. This was all _his_ fault. _Everything_ was always his fault.

She wasn't able to finish the ending to her book. She wasn't able to know if the girl this "modern" Prince Charming was trying to woo would fall in love with him. Casey only had a few more chapters to go. They wouldn't even take her more than an hour to read.

Now, she had to wait two…whole…_months_.

Plan of Action?

"What do you mean you can't think of one?" Lizzie asked, incredulously, as her older sister paced back and forth. "You _love _planning!"

"And that's the problem!" Casey declared, giving up on pacing and settling for collapsing upon Lizzie's bed in irritation. Liz scooted over a bit to give her sister some "moping space".

"I'm not following," She admitted. "I thought you'd have a foolproof plan to get back at Derek by now."

"Whenever Derek wins a battle, he usually wins because his ideas are spontaneous." Casey sighed. "I keep thinking planning isn't the way to go with this war."

"You know, war affects people surrounded by it too." Lizzie stated. "And, I thought you were against violence."  
"I am against violence," Casey protested, sitting up. "But I'm _not_ against revenge."

"Whatever, just as long as you don't make me do something I don't want to do," Lizzie said.

"But Liz, you're my younger sister!" Casey whined. "You're my blood! You _have_ to help me!"

"But I don't have a problem with Derek and I don't really feel like being apart of your revenge scheme." Lizzie retorted.

"I helped you with your relationship problems the other night." Casey frowned. "I figured you'd feel obligated to help me with this."

There it was. The guilt trip. Lizzie hated it whenever Casey laid a big one on her. As expected, Casey's expression turned soft and pleading…her famous pout. It was hard to _not_ feel guilty after she pulled off her famous pout.

"Fine, I'll help. I'll help."

"Thanks Liz!" Casey squealed, reaching over to give her sister a hug. "Now, I need you to meet with Edwin to figure out what Derek is planning. Knowing him, he's probably already come up with a plan to protect himself from my plan of attack and if I can find out what that is I'll crush him for sure!"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you take things too seriously?" Lizzie muttered, sighing as she got up from the bed to perform her task.

* * *

"Marti's not going to play a part in this?" Edwin inquired as Lizzie shut the games closet door behind her. She stood officially, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know about you Edwin, but I'm sick of these stupid wars between Derek and Casey."

"Speak for yourself, I find them entertaining."

_You would_, Lizzie thought. Instead, she gave her "partner in crime" a pointed look.

"You know, we don't have to be the messengers for their stupid quarrel. We can stand up and let them battle it out until they realize that Casey's the one at fault here for taking it so personal and starting this war in the first place. I'm sure Derek could care less about the whole scenario even if he is grounded."

At this, Edwin frowned slightly. "Actually, Derek's pretty irritated but I think he deserved it. Do you see the way he pushes me around? Like I'm his slave or something?"

"Oh please," Lizzie smirked. "The whole family knows you're his 'slave'. That's nothing new."

"Well, it's nice to know what you think about me Liz."

"Drop the sarcasm, Edwin," Lizzie rolled her eyes. "You can get mad at me later if you want but right now we have to stand together against Casey and Derek and show Casey that war isn't necessary…"

"I don't blame her actually," Edwin muttered. "I think this war is a good idea."  
"War in _general_ is a bad idea," Lizzie disagreed coldly.

"Well this 'war' isn't," He protested. "I mean, think about it Liz. If Casey won with our help Derek might actually agree to her terms. He's already got his chivalry lessons on the line. We could probably get Derek to stop messing with us for good!"

Lizzie thought for a moment. The idea seemed nice and she knew her step brother had a point but still. She couldn't help but think that if she became apart of this 'war' Casey would continue to think it was okay to order her around. If she stood up against her Casey would get that Lizzie wasn't that easy. Sure, she'd help her older sister with things that were _important_. They were, after all, family. Casey though didn't seem to get that she was so used to taking advantage of her that she didn't even recognize the crime anymore.

An idea came to mind and she grinned so brightly that it seemed to light up the dim closet.

"I may be willing to overlook my distaste of war," Lizzie said finally. "Casey did call it revenge, now that I think about it."

"What are you getting at?" Edwin pondered.

"You think Derek deserved the punishment?" Edwin nodded as Lizzie continued. "Well, of course I do too but I still think Casey needs to quit feeding the troll. I'll play her little game…but from the opposite side."  
"So, you team with Derek and I team with Casey?" Edwin blinked. "Wow…that's different."

"_Exactly." _Lizzie smirked, holding out her hand for Edwin to shake.

* * *

The second eldest Venturi cautiously made his way to Casey's room to make his proposal. He found her at her desk, tapping a pencil irritably although no paper was laid out before her.

"Edwin, I don't have time games. I'm waiting for Lizzie. Get out and leave me alone," Casey demanded, harshly. Edwin didn't wince for the demand didn't even phase him.

"Liz isn't coming, guess you're stuck with me."

At his words, Casey turned her attention towards the door of her room, confusion present within her features.  
"What do you _mean_ Lizzie's not coming?" She asked, slowly but with an edge to her voice. "I sent her over to try to get you to sing about Derek's plans!"

Edwin shrugged casually as he perched himself on a nearby chair. "Just that. She says she's tired doing all the grunge work. Liz is siding with Derek this time."

"Nice try, Edwin," Casey retorted. "But I know my sister. She wouldn't…" Her voice trailed off as Casey caught the knowing look in Edwin's eye. Mild shock made its' way into her features before she was able to finally speak.

"You're kidding me!?" Casey cried. "I never thought my sister would be such a…a…_blood traitor_."

At this Edwin laughed. "Been reading _Harry Potter _again?"

Casey glared at him. "Of course not." She said, indicating her empty bookshelf. Afterwards she averted her glare. "Marti was watching the movie yesterday, that's all."  
"Uh huh," Edwin scoffed, non-convinced. "So, are you going to let me become apart of Team McDonald? I want to see Derek get a taste of his own medicine as much as you do."

"Depends on how valuable your information is," Casey declared, crossing her arms.

He knew this was going to be required of him. Lizzie had warned him, so he came prepared.

"All I know is that Lizzie and Derek could strike us…I mean you," Edwin corrected once Casey glared at him again. "At anytime. Lizzie's pretty mischievous and with Derek's skills, they have a strong team. We need to match their strength with our own. You have killer planning skills and I well…I'm a snoop."

Casey raised an eyebrow. "I really doubt matching strength with strength would be the right way to go," She began, ignoring Edwin's smirk for he knew that was her discreet way of asking him to help her. " All I keep thinking is that we need to go for Derek's weakness. Which is really only one thing…" Casey broke off, smiling.

Edwin recognized the smile almost instantly. "You have a plan, don't you?"

Casey grinned as she pictured the latest Chivalry lesson from her list.

"Let's just call it an _idea_ for now," She told him, shrugging off his perplexed appearance.

* * *

Derek Venturi had no intentions of 'attacking Casey' as Lizzie had put it earlier. She had tried to sell him with some 'You know you want to get even.' crap and he wasn't buying it. For all he knew, Liz could be some type of double agent for her older sister. Not that it mattered, of course, because he didn't intend to strike Casey with some revenge-filled scheme. Revenge was actually the last thing on his mind. Instead, the oldest Venturi teen was currently focusing on Sally once again. It was still a mystery as to why he didn't just leave the soda and Casey in the kitchen. Not that he was feeling guilty or anything, but Derek kept thinking about Casey's threat. No more chivalry lessons. Sally kept ignoring him at work as usual, but after finally getting her to say one word at least, he found out that she still kept to her word. She'd wait for him until these chivalry lessons were done with.

Only, he couldn't help but mess with Casey even for a little bit. He was tired of putting up the act that he was getting all these chivalry lessons. Most of them could just be based on luck. Inside, he really felt he hadn't changed much as a person at all.

It felt like déjà vu when Casey McDonald barged into his room again, holding some paper firmly in her hands.

"I'm not interested in your stupid, revenge game." Derek told her before she could even open her mouth to speak. "So, you and Lizzie can just go off about your own business. I'm sure you can find something to do since you're grounded from reading." Derek's wide grin taunted Casey, impulse urging her to attack and strike him in some non-violent manner.

She composed herself after a moment, ignoring impulse, and kept a fake, sweet smile on her face.

"So I assume you still think I'm going to give you chivalry lessons?" She asked in a casual tone.

Derek rolled his eyes. "I don't assume anything."

"Derek, I love reading as much as you love hockey," Casey protested, gaining a bit of edge to her voice. "If you think I'm going to sit around for two months while Mom and George hold my books captive because of something _you _started, something that was _your _fault…"

"It hasn't even been a day and you're already going insane?" Derek asked, amused. _Wow, that was quick. _

"I'm making a deal. If you tell Mom that the whole argument last night was your fault and that you'll do anything to get me my books back, I'll continue teaching you chivalry lessons." Casey said, firmly.

"And if I don't tell Nora?"

"You're on your own with Sally," Casey's eyes twinkled as she foreshadowed failure if Derek tried to win Sally back on his own. "Good luck."

_Stop being rebellious_, an inner voice commanded. _You know you need Casey's help to win Sally back…_

"So, do we have a deal?"

And he was about to say yes. He was about to agree with her conditions in a heart beat. He was about to actually listen to that inner voice, something he trained himself not to do through the years. Derek rose from his spot on the bed and looked Casey in the eye. She had a poker face on, her expression was stiff. She wasn't going to take this whole grounding thing lightly.

Then, Derek noticed something. Casey was dangling these Chivalry lessons over his head as if they were a cat toy and he was the cat. She wanted him to cave, she wanted him to beg. Derek Venturi never begged and he wasn't about to start now.

"I'll accept the lessons, Case," He began with a smirk as he watched Casey's features turn into confusion. "But if you think I'm going to bail you out of the mess you're in, you're wrong. If you want war so bad, I'll give it to you."

Casey remained speechless for a moment, before finding her voice. She thought she had him. She knew Sally was his weakness. What game was her step brother trying to play!?

"You don't get it, do you?" She retorted. "I'm not just giving you the lessons."

"Then may the best team win," Derek replied, simply.

The challenge. Casey narrowed her eyes and _hmphed_. Before turning on her heal, he wasn't breaking her pride, she replied in a non-Casey like voice. "Oh Edwin and I plan too." She scoffed, stalking out of the room. Derek watched her with a smug expression. He'd have to make sure that Lizzie was still on his team after all this of course. Knowing that the knew change of partners already had Casey riled up and pissy because things weren't going her way, he had the strong advantage. With Lizzie's McDonald smarts he was going to get back to his Chivalry lessons in no time.

-Fin-

A/N: Please don't kill me! This update probably sucked, I know. I have you readers waiting for over two months for an update and I failed at giving you the epic one I wanted to give you. The fight/war will be continued in the next update. That next update will indeed come out quicker than this one. I'm so sorry guys, I hope you all enjoyed the update and aren't too mad at me. Thanks for reading everyone, until next time!

"_Never let go of the one you truly love."_

-December'sRose


	8. Chapter Infinity

**SINCE APRIL FOOLS' DAY IS OVER I FEEL OBLIGATED TO SAY THAT THIS IS NOT THE REAL CHAPTER 7. IF YOU'RE NOT**

**IN THE MOOD FOR A PARODY THEN PLEASE DON'T READ BECAUSE THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT THIS CHAPTER IS. ;)**

**THE REAL CHAPTER 7 WILL BE OUT SOON! THANKS FOR READING EVERYONE!**

**(Also yes, btw, this Chapter is going to stay up for memories)**

Title: Casey's Code of Chivalry

Rated T

Summary: Derek is frustrated with the fact that he doesn't have Casey yet, and is also irritated that they haven't had sex mulitple times yet as well. Casey's all hyped up about Chivalry for some reason. Derek proceeds to use this to his advantage while Symone is away stalking Michael Seater in Canada. Will she succeed? Probably not. Will Michael put a restraining order on her? Probably. .:Dasey:.

Disclaimer: Life with Derek exists?

* * *

IIIIIIIIIII. Never let Derek Venturi write fanfiction…unless you ship Dasey or Cemily.

* * *

"Der-ek!"

The familiar screech did not alarm the one who it was intended for. Instead, Derek Venturi ignored it completely and continued typing out his chapter update for the wonderful world of the internet.

Casey McDonald was appalled and disgusted. This was shown all over her expression and she did not hide her rage as she barged into her step brother's room, uninvited. In her hand was her list aka the Code of Chivalry as well as a thick stack of papers. Derek did not even bother looking up for he was currently "concentrating" on his new update.

"Derek, explain this!" Casey demanded, slamming the stack of papers down on his desk, hoping that this action would get him to pay attention to her. It didn't work. "I started the war? Lizzie sided with YOU? Truman doesn't exist!? You're ruining the very essence of this fanfiction and it's an absolute disaster!"

"And you wonder why everyone complains about your new personality," Derek smirked. "The S1!Casey I used to know would have come to me "calmly" because she would have felt that would have made her the 'bigger person' with constructive criticism rather than interrupt my creative process in order to give me a personal flame."

"I have NOT changed!" Casey declared (obviously in denial). "What I want to know is why Symone left YOU, of all fictional characters, in charge of my…er '_Casey's Code of Chivalry'!_?"

"If you must know," Derek started simply, clearly amused. "Symone decided to leave Texas because she was sick and tired of all the stuff Americans air on television these days. Instead of dealing with it, she chose to move up to Canada so she could pursue her goal of finally being able to properly stalk Michael Seater. She left me in charge of _"Casey's Code of Chivalry."_"

"But that's ridiculous!" Casey argued. "She should have left _me_ in charge of it. I'm clearly the better writer. Plus, I know how she wanted to end the story!"

"I know how she wanted to end the story too," Derek retorted, returning to his work.

"Then tell me why," Casey fumed, flipping through the stack of papers on the desk until she came across the one she wanted. "Tell me _why _you are writing about how Emily and I had hot, kinky, lesbian sex after graduation!?"

If Symone were in the room at the current time, she would have giggled at Casey's silly fit and Derek was aware of this which was why he chose that moment to snort.

"So you're homophobic now, Casey?" Derek clucked his tongue. "How sad. I wonder how Symone'll take that. You know she's straight but she has no problem with gays or lesbians falling in love with each other."

"I'm not homophobic!" Casey blushed. "Emily's just my best friend!"

"So, if you're not lesbian are you still with Truman?" Derek asked her, putting his original plan into action.

"You don't need to know," Casey snapped. "Besides, Truman's not as bad a guy as you make him out to be."

"What you see in that guy, I'll never know."

"Oh please," Casey scoffed. "You know you loved that one _Trerek_ fanfiction that one author wrote for Symone."

"I'll agree, it was kind of hot," Derek shrugged. "But that still doesn't fully answer my question."

"What if I don't want to answer your question?" Casey asked, frowning.

"What if I make you a deal?" Derek countered, grinning.

Casey paused. When dealing with Derek and deals there was no way to know what to expect…and she didn't like this. But she was curious and henceforth asked:

"What type of deal?"

"You tell me your exact reasons for liking Trollman," Derek ignored the "Der-ek!" and continued. "And I'll stop writing Cemily lemon."

"Really?" Casey asked, surprised.

"Sure, why not."

Casey took a sigh and sat down on the edge of Derek's bed. Derek thought she looked rather hot that moment, as she thought about her reply.

"I suppose I really don't like him as much as I thought I did," Casey finally agreed. "Especially after what Truman did to me with Vicky. I know I gave him a second chance but I felt pressure. So, I ended the relationship before we got our scholarships to Queens University."

"So, that means you're single?"

"Yep."

"Want to make out?" Derek asked at once, using a line he had heard from a character from this show Marti always watched…Zoey 1 something or other. He didn't care for it really but whenever it was on he always caught this Logan dude saying it. According to Marti, this Logan dude was always getting all the girls with this line except Zoey but he didn't care because he had Quinn now. And that is the great circle of life, Marti had concluded.

Casey looked surprised for a moment but before she could even answer Derek's lips were already upon hers. Having sex with Derek usually made her forget why she ever became mad with him in the first place so she unofficially closed their previous argument as she deepened the kiss and as he unbuttoned her shirt. Somewhere, far off in Canada behind Michael Seater's house waiting for him to come home so she could jump him, Symone said to her readers:

**APRIL FOOLS!**

A/N: I felt the impulse to update this after jotting it quickly down in my spiral during Government class. Yay, it's April first! Happy Birthday, Fred and George! To those reading now, I apologize for delaying the REAL update. Chapter 7 should be updated as soon as possible and I'm so sorry I haven't had it up sooner. I'm trying to keep up with college and everything. For those who think that this was serious, it wasn't…it was just a silly parody I came up with in fifteen minutes. Yes, that's not how I write usually and yes, I know the characters are OOC for I made them that way on purpose. Also I feel obligated to say that Dasey is going to happen eventually in this story…it just won't happen so soon. Lol. I hope everyone has a great April Fools' day and no one was hurt by any pranks! Also, HP fans, if you're looking for a laugh MuggleNet set up its' annual April Fools' prank which is quite amusing this year.

Thanks for reading. I hope I didn't anger or offend anyone with this. If I did I apologize. Again, I'll have the real Chapter 7 out soon! Until next time!

"_Never let go of the one you truly love."_

-December'sRose


End file.
